Women’s shoes

Women’s shoes of the so-called Mary Jane type, with strap on the instep and low-heel, are sown from brown leather and adorned with beige openwork trimming. The fashion had been most popular in the interwar years, but it continued to be worn over the subsequent decades. The shoes, purchased by the Museum of Warsaw, were produced in one of the most widely known Warsaw shoemaker workshops, established in 1883 by Jan Kielman. The neatly finished Kielman’s shoes soon procured him a devoted group of followers. The workshop’s dynamic development was made possible by export to the eastern markets.

In the interwar years the Kielman’s workshop realized a number of most prestigious commissions. Amongst its clients were: President Ignacy Mościcki, generals: Władysław Sikorski and Charles de Gaulle, and artists such as Jan Kiepura and Mieczysława Ćwiklińska. The company was revived after the Second World Two as a cosy shoemaker’s shop. Today, Jan Kielman’s shoes are known all across the globe. It is a truly luxurious business – handmade and sown to measure.