_Fig. 36._] In the latter country they were abolished during the reign of Mary Tudor. The examples given are believed to be German, and must have belonged to a person of high rank, from their decoration. Another early example of a French shoe is Fig. 29. It is of white stuff ornamented on the instep with a large rosette of silver lace and a long metal point. The heel is so high that the wearer must have literally walked on her toes. Another female shoe of interest is from the wardrobe of Catherine de Medicis, Fig. 28. The shoe, of white leather, no longer has the toe pointed but is square in shape, covered to the instep with silk, on which are worked figures in silver lace, giving to it the appearance of a metal surface. This shoe is peculiar, in having a sole which connects the toe and heel together in the form of a pattern. Fig. 30 shows a shoe of this period, of delicate workmanship. The toe has now become quite round, while the leather is slashed to show the stocking underneath. Fig. 31 represents an Italian shoe of the seventeenth century; Fig. 33 is another style of the peaked shoe, of the same date. Fig. 32 is thought to be Flemish in origin, and of the eighteenth century. The heel and back are not unlike in shape the shoe worn during the Regency in France, but the peculiar front-piece makes us think that this shoe could never have been very popular for every-day wear. [Illustration: _Fig. 37._ _Fig. 38._ _Fig. 39._] During the Revolution in France, there was quite a mania for classic styles in shoes, and many ladies in high society adopted the Greek and Roman sandals, which were fastened on the foot by gay-colored ribbons. Mme. Tallien once appeared at a ball in such sandals, with her toes decorated with diamond rings. Fig. 34 shows the shoe of the unfortunate Duke de Montmorency, a victim of the relentless animosity of Richelieu. It is of black leather, with a large red heel, and entirely covered with ornaments; tradition says it was gathered on the scaffold. Fig. 35 represents a highly ornamented lady’s shoe of this period, while Fig. 36 is a shoe worn during the Regency. The heel is very high and not unlike a barber’s wig-stand; the front, however, is rather graceful in shape. Figs. 37 and 38 are samples of the curiously carved wooden shoes which were worn by ladies at the end of the sixteenth century. Fig. 39 represents a black leather shoe of Louis XIV., with red heel; these were in high favor at court at this time. * * * * * [Illustration: _Fig. 40._ _Fig. 41._ _Fig. 42._]