In this book, Beaumont outlines the shifts that occurred in the design of costumes and sets for the ballet since the Italian Renaissance to the mid-twentieth century. He pays particular attention to the innovations that were advanced in the Paris Opera with an occasional eye to the endeavors of other countries. This book represents a compilation and expansion of his previous works Five Centuries of Ballet and Design for the Ballet and draws on secondary accounts and criticisms, first-hand observations and interviews (the latter two in the case of twentieth-century performances). Heavily illustrated, this book not only provides descriptions of the footwear and the changes it underwent, but also a number of images which will allow me to examine the changes that occurred as pointe shoes came into popular use during the nineteenth century.