Pointe was a means of enhancing drama by extending the female character. Marie wore soft satin slippers that fit like gloves. They had a leather sole and some darning on the sides and under, not on the tip. It is said that pointe shoes in the 1800s-1900s felt like standing barefoot. The blocked pointe shoe with a still sole as we know today wasn’t evolved until much later. Taglioni’s Pointe Technique included a single pirouette and piques (along with select other exercises). Her alignment was much different than today. Her hips were released back her upper body tilted slightly forward. She was not “over her feet” as are today’s ballerinas. By the late 1800s The Soft Shoe filled with cotton and reinforced by stitching was replaced by stronger models. Use of stronger materials like leather allowed for a more structured sole. Companies began making pointe shoes out of layers of fabric, boards and paste (which is still the method used today). Gaynor Mindens were the 1st pointes to manufacture themselves in a very different way, using plastic (1993). In 1899, Frederick Freed was born in London. He grew up making shoes and was fascinated by the ballerina shoes. In 1847, the brand: Freed of London became the most prestigious and leading pointe shoe manufactures in the world.