Shoes were a mainstay throughout Warhol’s art career; in 1949, on his second day introducing himself to publishers in New York, Warhol received his first assignment as a commercial illustrator- to illustrate shoes for New York’s Glamour Magazine. In the 1950s, Warhol was also responsible for revamping I. Miller’s advertising campaign, specifically through his blotted line drawings of shoes. He was so successful in this area that he eventually became known in the industry as “the shoe person.”

Warhol created a now famous portfolio of shoe drawings in 1955 titled “A la Recherche du Shoe Perdu”, featuring drawings of singular shoes and an accompanying line of text. Gee Merrie Shoes was created around this same time, and features the same blotted line technique—a technique which Warhol developed as a college student. It has been suggested that the script underlining the image was written by Warhol’s mother – it is certainly in her style.

His shoe illustrations play into some of the overarching themes of Warhol’s work: industry, capitalism, and (perhaps above all) fashion. According to Warhol, “[f]ashion wasn't what you wore someplace anymore; it was the whole reason for going.” And, as Warhol said, “[y]ou can never have enough shoes.”