18th Century

David Morier, known as a "soldiers' painter" for his precise regimental detail, depicts a hussar in full gallop — tall fur cap, red-faced uniform, and black riding boots. Part of a series Morier painted documenting 18th-century cavalry regiments, this piece is the source for this boot's clean, functional black leather design

This portrait shows a gentleman in a blue-and-gold naval coat, seated beside a globe and a ship painting, sword at his side and buckled shoes on his feet. It follows the conventions of 18th-century naval and gentleman portraiture, when officers and explorers were often painted with instruments of navigation and command — the buckled shoe style seen here carried through into Colonial American dress of the same period.

David's iconic portrait shows Napoleon Bonaparte on a rearing horse, cape billowing, leading his army across the Alps in 1800. Carved into the rocks below are the names Hannibal and Charlemagne, placing Napoleon among history's great generals. One of the most recognizable images in Western art, it remains a defining depiction of Napoleonic military dress and command.

Exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1834, this painting imagines the final moments of Renaissance master Antonio da Correggio, cradled by a grieving figure as a monk arrives with last rites. Part of a 19th-century Romantic tradition of depicting the deaths of great artists, it captures the quiet, humble dress of 16th-century Italy — the inspiration for this shoe's simple, tie-bow silhouette.