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The Kerr Shoe Collection

Visual Artists’ News Sheet | January – February 2023

Eve Parnell considers shoes housed in NIVAL that were handmade in Ireland in the twentieth century.

Three pairs of Kerr Shoes are positioned on or next to their boxes. One is a pair of red, wedge-heeled shoes with silver buckles. A second pair are yellow and white platform sandals and a third pair are brown leather shoes with kitten heels.
  • Hundreds of white shoeboxes are stacked on metal shelves. In the foreground, a pair of pink children's boots have been placed on top of one box.
  • Three pairs of adult slippers are displayed on top of and beside two white shoeboxes. One pair are lime green and pink with a lime green faux fur trim. Another red pair are backless with a high heel and red pom-poms on a toe strap. The third pair are dusty pink and are backless with a heel and pink pom-pom on the toe strap.

While the National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL) is predominately paper-based, you might be surprised to learn that we have approximately 1,300 pairs of shoes! You may agree the staff in NIVAL are a fashion-conscious lot; however, these are not our shoes.

Housed in a room to themselves, these shoes are stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling. They are all stored in their original, individual boxes, which in turn provide fascinating examples of design, advertising trends, and styles. There is a feeling of time travel as NIVAL staff linger in the quiet space, peeping into the shoeboxes. Sensible school shoes, remembered from childhood, contrast with the vibrantly coloured, polyester, faux fur-trimmed slippers, so popular in the 1980s. From pumps to iconic platforms, these once common examples of footwear are now rare historical artefacts. High heels, wingtips, and sandals demonstrate in a very real and tangible way, the myriad of talent and graft of the skilled practitioners.

  • A pair of yellow and white platform sandals
  • A pair of blue children's slippers are placed on top of a yellow shoebox. The shoes and box carry the image of the children's puppet Bosco as well as its name.

Donated to the archive by artist Dr Helen McAllister and textile artist Millie Cullivan ANCAD, this collection originated from the Kerr Family shoe shop business, based in Mohill, Country Leitrim. The shop was opened in 1956 and closed in the mid-90s, retaining shoes from across this 40-year time span. Not only is this an extensive collection but significantly, the vast majority of the shoes are Irish-made, with a substantial amount manufactured in Leitrim and the surrounding counties. This is testament to the flourishing industry of shoe and shoe-related products that have since, essentially, disappeared in Ireland. The Kerr Shoe Collection is an important record of an indigenous manufacturing industry, which included shoe designers, networks for production, marketing, distribution, and graphic designers to create attractive packaging and logos. Put simply, this archive reflects a vital social record, showing Irish fashion trends and societal norms over four decades.

Supporting this collection are a number of related articles and books kept in NIVAL. Visitors are welcome to book an appointment to study these books, files, and ephemera in our Reading Room, while books from the Edward Murphy Library are available for loan to members of the library.

One example is David Shaw-Smith’s 1979 documentary, Tutty’s Shoes, focusing on the famous artisan shoemaker, Tutty’s of Naas, who made hand-lasted shoes by measuring the foot, building up the wooden last, and competing the shoe. Other resources include Shaw-Smith’s book, Traditional Crafts of Ireland (Thames and Hudson, 1984), and a chapter titled, ‘Shoemakers’ in Kevin Corrigan Kearns’s book, Dublin’s Vanishing Craftsmen (Appletree Press, 1986). The Kerr Family was keen to find a future role for the shop’s contents. Which the help of Mervyn Kerr, Helen McAllister, and Millie Cullivan, they catalogued, photographed, and created an archive of approximately 1,300 shoe models. Where possible, two of each shoe style were taken, with one set going to NIVAL. The Kerr Shoe Collection was deposited at NIVAL by Helen McAllister in 2017.

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