Terms and Conditions
The artist, title and date of the work must be listed anywhere the image is reproduced:
Thea Cadabra, London (shoemaker)
Thea Cadabra (designer)
Dragon, shoes 1979
leather (calfskin), rubber
(a-b) 21.5 × 9.0 × 23.5 cm (each)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1982
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Dragon, shoes
1979
Medium
leather (calfskin), rubber
Measurements
(a-b) 21.5 × 9.0 × 23.5 cm (each)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1982
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
In the 1970s, Thea Cadabra made her own clothes to wear to London nightclubs, but could never find shoes to match her flamboyant dresses. She apprenticed with a Turkish shoemaker working in London, and by 1979 won first prize in the Crafts Council Show for her handmade shoes. Inspired by David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and vintage glamour, Cadabra’s creations incorporate both humour and drama. These Chinese dragon Shoes required more than 100 pattern pieces to make.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
London, England
Inscription
(a) label, insole, woven in white on black synthetic fabric: Thea Cadabra
(b) label, insole, woven in white on black synthetic fabric: Thea Cadabra
Accession Number
CT102.a-b-1982
Department
International Fashion and Textiles
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest