Photo By Gail

Before Andy Warhol became the king of Pop Art, he made his living as one of New York City’s most sought-after commercial illustrators. In the 1950s, his whimsical shoe drawings became a signature of his early career, appearing in advertisements and promotional materials for the fashionable department store Bonwit Teller, as well as in his own self-published artist books.

This delightful pink high-heeled shoe perfectly captures the elegance, wit, and playfulness that made those illustrations so memorable. Beneath the shoe appears the charming phrase:

See a Shoe and Pick it Up and All Day Long You’ll have Good Luck.

The distinctive handwriting is that of Warhol’s mother, Julia Warhola. Julia frequently collaborated with her son during these early years, lending her graceful, decorative penmanship to many of his illustrations and helping to give them their unmistakable personality.

Already transforming everyday objects into art. His shoe drawings elevated fashionable footwear into glamorous icons, often embellishing them with brilliant colors, delicate ink lines, and just the right touch of whimsy. This rosy heel reminds us that Warhol’s fascination with beauty, consumer culture, and popular imagery didn’t begin in the gallery — it started in the shop windows of Manhattan.

Photographed in the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.