These pictures were donated by Beate Rother. They are Russian pointe shoes that date back to the Soviet Era.
This is one of the pamphlets that came with the shoes. After translating, I found that it is simply a packing slip from the Bolshoi ballet detailing the price of the shoes, the size, and the width. It also features the address of the Bolshoi Ballet at the time. I do not know if that is still the correct address. Here is Beate's general description of the shoes: I have three pairs, two of satin (one wide, one narrow) one of canvas. I bought them by mail order in France, the name and address of the shop are: Maison de la Dance 5, Rue de Pruxelles 9 ene Paris Tel. 42801861 There were two sheets of paper with information in Russian, unfortunately, one paper was torn, I put it together as best as I could. common to all shoes: They have a European size 38 which is a 5 in Capezio Nicolinis. The soles are the same, although the boxes are different. All shoes have a V-shaped vamp, tapered boxes and flat platforms. The boxes are light, no breaking-in needed, soles flexible but supportive. alterations by me: Originally, the shoes had neither ribbons nor drawstrings, I added both. There is some dirt, because they have been used. The yellow stains come from Gamba's pointe shoe hardener. I didn't darn the shoes but put some transparent glue on the platforms to protect the satin. soles: rather short, thin and narrow. The outer sole is leather in a dark-brown color, the inner sole cardboard with a little something of a shank in between. no nails. There is some criss-cross cutting on the outer soles (to improve traction?) measurements: lenght of the shoes (put on) 23,5 to 24 cm lenght of the outer sole: 16,5 cm width of the outer sole at the pleats: 2,5 cm width of the outer sole at the ball: 4,5 - 5 cm width of the outer sole in the middle: 2,5 cm width of the outer sole at the heel: 3,0 - 3,5 cm the inner soles are about 1 cm wider than the outer soles. canvas shoes: the color is a deep shade of pink, the back strap has a lighter color, the drawstring casing is darker than the quarters. length of the vamp: 5 cm length of the pleats: 2,3 cm width of the pleats: 6 cm the outer soles are marked with an S the platform has the shape of a circle not an oval, diameter: 4 cm. another peculiarity: When standing flat, usually there is an right angle between the floor and the platform. not here: The platform is tilted backward. The shoes appear to have been made rather carelessly, one has visible imperfections on the pleats (right side seem fron below) they are obviously rehearsal shoes. They stand by themselves on pointe, but I never managed to dance in them. wide satin shoes: the color is a light shade of pink (including back strap), the casing is darker. length of the vamp: 6 cm length of the pleats: 2 cm width of the pleats: 7 cm platform: 4 cm x 3 cm The pleats are slightly rising (when standing flat, the pleats do not touch the floor, the pleats of the canvas shoe do), the platform is not tilted, soft edge between pleats and platform Outer soles marked with an E. I loved these shoes.They are light and flexible, it's easy to roll through the foot, demi-pointe nearly feels like in soft slippers, very good balance when standing flat - but they gave little metartasal support, I needed much more strength on pointe. I really couldn't rely on the shoes to keep me up. But this more strength also meant more control over the movements. narrow satin shoes: same colors as the wide satin shoes. length of the vamp: 6 cm length of the pleats: 2 cm width of the pleats: 6 cm platform: 3,5 cm x 2,8 cm outer sole marked with an 0 in a circle Cynthia Harvey is quoted in the "Pointe Book" as wishing for a "sock with a hard tip" - she should try these! The box is narrower than the box of the other satin shoes, but not the satin or the soles. That makes the foot look very tapered as you can see in old pictures of Pavlova or Vaganova. It's not that the shoe is too small for my feet - I had to add drawstrings because it was fitting a bit loosely. 
 
 
 
 
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