Unusual, Substantial Pair of (Heavy!) Metal Salesman Sample/Display Loafers with Tassels praying drawing framed at the top of

framed at the top of this little wall shelf with heart pierced arrow at center is the tintype portrait of handsome mustached man with pink tinted cheeks

To my eye completely lyrical in all senses and just wonderfully full of life

and based on a little research late 18th century or seems about right

and extra nice that there is a base to squeeze handle

With a big gray sky

Unusual, Substantial Pair of (Heavy!) Metal Salesman Sample/Display Loafers with Tassels praying drawing framed at the top ofCurious. I don't know that I'd ever seen a pair of metal salesman sample shoes before, but I'm more or less certain that is what these are, given their quality and scale and specificity. (Or maybe a shoe company's gift for the loafer salesman of the year?!) They're quite substantial, beautifully crafted and quite striking, all the more so in hand, with their surface finish evincing carved stone (I keep thinking of catlinite) as much as anything and