A pair of embroidered silk northern-style shoes for bound feet decorated with auspicious depictions of deer, coins and flowers, likely made in the Shanxi region of Northern China.

Foot binding was a painful yet popular custom among the Han Chinese during the Qing dynasty when small feet were considered sensual and beautiful, incentivising women to bind their daughter's feet to secure good marriages and fulfil filial duties. This tradition, was so ingrained in 19th-century Han Chinese society, that unbound feet were the exception, even among women of the working class. The ideal foot size was around 7.5 centimetres and was referred to as a 'golden lotus'. To further exaggerate the small appearance of one's feet, shoes like these had heels which helped angle the foot to a point, creating a smaller footprint.

The embroidered decorations on these shoes often carried layers of meaning. For instance, the deer, symbolising longevity and grace, also held deeper significance as it was linked to Luxing, the god of rank and salary. In Chinese, the word for deer, lu, is a homophone for words meaning "wealth" and "official promotion." Therefore, the depiction of a deer alongside a coin on the shoes conveyed the wearer's hope for her husband's—and by extension, her family's—success and prosperity.