Paris Shoes Plastic Bag

Manufacturer / Maker Paris Shoes

Dateca. 1985

Mediumplastic, cotton, copper

Dimensions17 5/8 × 13 5/8 × 5/8 in. (44.8 × 34.6 × 1.6 cm)

ClassificationsClothing, Costume, & Accessories

Credit LineAlbuquerque Museum, gift of Susan Elder

Object numberPC2006.11.1

DescriptionThis department store plastic clothing bag from Paris Shoes is a simple yet elegant representation of the reputable Albuquerque shoe store. Originally opened in 1904 with a location at 121 West Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Paris Shoes expanded to become one of the largest independently owned retail shoe stores before closing in 1994. Italian immigrant Pompilo Matteucci owned this store as well as Shoes on a Shoestring, and featured the written font of the storefront on the bag in a bold, black writing for Paris with cursive Shoes below. The words take up the middle of the wrinkled bag with a pink outline around the left and top part, creating a striking visual contrast against the neutral white plastic. Paris Shoes holds a significant place in Albuquerque's history as a premier shoe store that expanded to the Winrock Shopping Center in the 1970s and remained a mainstay of the mid-to-late 20th-century retail culture Albuquerque, catering to the growing population and its evolving sense of style.

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