Primor slingback pumps, black leather (pair)

Clothing/Dress/Costume

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

"Primor" slingback pumps, black leather (pair)

Entry/Object ID

2025.1.56

Description

A pair of women's black leather dress pumps with a high stiletto heel and a slingback strap with a small buckle. The toe is close (covered) and squared-to-tapered, decorated across the vamp with woven/interlaced leather straps and a flat leather bow, with an open cut-out at the throat. The slingback strap fastens at the heel; the heel is a slim covered stiletto. Inside, the insole carries a printed/stamped maker's inscription, and the back strap carries a second inscription of size/lot codes. The pair shows wear consistent with use. Counted as one object in two parts (left and right shoe).

Use

Shoes belonged to Pilar Fernández Prieto, who gave them circa 2003 to María A. Cabrera Arús for her to wear them. María A. Cabrera Arús gave them to a friend in the United States circa 2010.

Context

Primor shoes were high-quality shoes made since 1965 in Havana for brides and quinceañeras, and occasionally other special events such as beauty contests. In the 1970s and 1980s the store mostly sold shoes to girls who turned 15 (quinceañeras)

Collection

Pilar Fernández Prieto collection

Acquisition

Accession

2025.1

Clothing/Dress/Costume Details

Article of Clothing/Dress/Costume

Shoes

Clothing Sex

Female

Size

8

Textile Details

Material

Leather

Color

Black

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Primor

Date made

circa 1965

Time Period

1960s

Place

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Edition

Primor

Label/Inscription/Signature

Type

Inscription

Location

insole

Transcription

Alta Calidad Hecho en Cuba Primor

Language

Spanish

Translation

High Quality Made in Cuba Delicacy

Type

Inscription

Location

back strap

Transcription

·60 H80265 B M137 F1536

Notes

MATERIALS: Black leather (upper, straps, and covered heel); leather or composite sole. TECHNIQUES: Constructed leather dress shoe — lasted leather upper with applied woven-strap and bow ornament at the vamp, a covered stiletto heel, and a buckled slingback. Maker's marks applied to the insole (printed/stamped) and to the back strap (stamped codes).

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Size 7-7.5 (US women's shoe size)

Parts

right and left shoes

Condition

Overall Condition

Fair

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

María A. Cabrera Arús

Notes

owner

Person or Organization

Pilar Fernández Prieto

Notes

owner

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

production, acquisition, use

Research Notes

Notes

These are Cuban-made women's dress pumps of the Primor brand, produced under the state light-industry apparatus (MINIL). The insole inscription is the key identifying evidence: "Alta Calidad / Hecho en Cuba / Primor" both names the brand and confirms domestic manufacture, while the back-strap string ("·60 H80265 B M137 F1536") is a manufacturing/size/lot code whose individual elements are not decoded here; the leading "60" may relate to a size or model and the rest to batch identifiers, but that should not be asserted without a reference.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

March 31, 2022

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 14, 2026