1940s-1960s House Slippers
Uncovering A Mystery from Emily in Philadelphia
Emily from Philadelphia recently reached out about a GORGEOUS pair of vintage slippers she thrifted. She shared:
"I thrifted these and can’t find any info telling me what they are or when they are from online or any of my reference books. My guess is they are 1940s house slippers because of the peep toe, but the bottom sole is some sort of foam-feeling material, which is kind of throwing me off. Let me know if you can find anything on them—love your videos!"
Upon first glance, I’d agree they’re likely slippers from the 1940s to 1960s! Let’s dive in.
House slippers, also called “boudoir shoes” or “house shoes,” were staples for women during about the 1920s-1970s. They were often paired with a matching dressing gown or robe and designed for indoor use. Typically, they featured satin or quilted fabrics, peep-toes, and usually a heel. Using my favorite method: 1) Labels/Tags, 2) Construction, and 3) Style, let’s see what we can uncover:
1. Labels/Tags
The brand name would usually be on the insole or the sole. We don’t have a photo of the sole or evidence of any labels, but we do have Serial Numbers. The numbers inside this slippers—like “19612” and “21976”—could serve several purposes:
Size indication (e.g., the “5” could be a size).
Production codes used for style tracking in mass manufacturing.
Potential date code (e.g., “19612” could represent December 1961 or January 1962, though this isn’t a universal system).
That’s all we have for identification, so we have to move on to…
2. Construction
Fabric: Satin and brocade were hallmark materials for loungewear, evoking luxury and elegance. These fabrics were especially popular during non-wartime periods (1930s, late 1940s, and into the 1950s-60s). During wartime (early 1940s), rayon often substituted for silk and satin due to material rationing.
Insole: The pink satin insole is a luxurious detail often associated with boudoir slippers, but with a notable top stitch. Based on research (and Googling variations of “vintage house slippers” 10k times) here are a few of the most common slipper/houseshoe/boudior slipper brands from the 30s-60s:
Beacon Shoes
Jacqueline Slippers
Acorn Slippers
Isotoner
Evans Slippers
The most promising lead? The brand that kept showing up when I put the photos into Google Lens… Daniel Green! This brand sometimes featured pink satin insoles and brocade uppers, especially in their “Comfy” line…
Sole: Here’s where things get interesting. I was similarly puzzled by the “foam-feeling” sole Emily describes and the short wedge heel instead of 1-2” heel I’m used to seeing in house slippers. Foam would’ve been unusual for the 1940s as most house slippers from that time used leather, felt, or fiberboard. True foam materials like polyurethane became more common in footwear in the 1950s and 1960s as synthetic materials became popular.
Unlike high-heeled mules, which were glamorous staples of boudoir wear, flat-soled slippers like this were more practical and designed for comfort. Daniel Green’s “Comfy” line matches this description, featuring shorter soles and sometimes foam cushioning.
Daniel Green slippers go back to the 1880s and I’ve found dozens of ads from the early 1900s through the 1990s with the “comfies”, characterized by a small wedge heel, frequently made in leather with a wool felt sole, however they make a change in around the 1940s in terms of construction. This video below talks about it in great detail:
I don’t necessarily think the shoe is a Daniel Green, as it likely would have been marked with the label if it were. However, without seeing or feeling the sole, I would guess one of two possibilities: 1) The sole might be foam, indicating a later production date (1950s/1960s), or 2) The sole could be a distinctive technique from a creative brand that used a combination of leather, felt, and wool to achieve that 'foam-like' feel!
This brings us to our final clues…
3. Style
Bow Detail: Decorative bows on footwear were a hallmark of feminine styles throughout the mid-century. I found a number of ads from the 40s through the 60s featuring bow details! This doesn’t narrow anything down, it’s just a cute detail!
Peep Toe: The open-toe style gained popularity in women’s footwear starting in the late 1930s and remained trendy through the 1970s. Based on my research, peep-toe slippers don’t tend to appear in earlier decades, so that’s a solid clue placing these post-1930s.
Shape: The unique shape of the shoe and cutout on the side didn’t appear too frequently in my search, however I did find 2 examples of similar styles. The first is from the 1940s (according to the Etsy description), has a felt sole, serial markings on the heel, and a bow detail with nearly identical shape: peep toe, wedge heel, bow detail.
The second is from this Flint Journal article from 1964 showcasing Daniel Green slippers. One style, listed as No. 16, featured a flat sole and came in blue, white, or black... brocade! Although the pair isn’t perfect (notably no open-toe), this style looks quite similar and features the comfy sole.
Final Guess
Assuming the sole is foam (I wish I could feel it, Emily!) I would place it late 1950s/1960s. Otherwise, the style remains pretty consistent with 1940s styles and might just be a unique technique of latex, cork, felted wool, or some broken down material that feels like foam.
Emily, thanks for sharing this mystery piece—it was so much fun to investigate! And as always, if you have a piece you’d like me to research, you can do that here!
Thank you so much! Sorry I didn’t include a picture of just the sole, there was no writing or anything on it indicating a maker.