Mules of Mercy Lavinia Magri, Also Known as Mrs. Tom Thumb, circa 1870

Mules are backless shoes. Women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries typically wore these easy-to-slip-on shoes in the bedroom, but by the late 20th century mules had become a fashion item worn nearly everywhere. Mercy Lavinia Magri, the diminutive performer employed by P. T. Barnum, owned this pair.