Artois buckles, large shoe buckles that curved dramatically to cover the instep of the foot, were at the height of fashion in the 1770s and 1780s. George Washington likely wore these silver buckles defined by a contrasting copper border on formal occasions. While the maker has not been identified, the maker's mark of two grains, "LC/F," and a shield is characteristic of those used by French silversmiths. Washington may have purchased these from a Philadelphia or New York jeweler with a large stock of imported goods, or he may have received them as a gift sent directly from France.