Fred Astaire’s dance shoes ↑

Fred Astaire defines the triple threat. He was a legendary performer awarded a Grammy for singing, an Emmy and special Oscar for acting, and the praise of the dance world for his footwork. “He’s too perfect,” Mikhail Baryshnikov said at a 1981 tribute. “His perfection is an absurdity that’s hard to face.” Between 1933 and 1949, Astaire made ten musicals with Ginger Rogers. These tap shoes were worn in Top Hat, his most famous film, choreographed by Hermes Pan. RKO donated the pair to the Natural History Museum shortly after the film wrapped.

Photograph by Henry Leutwyler

Source: Los angeles magazine