That's absolutely true, but it's also true that the average height of people has risen a lot - up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) - since the mid-19th century, so I guess that's part of the reason we find comparatively tiny historical garments and shoes!

BTW, I know at least three women who suffer from serious feet problems due to dancing the 80s away in very pointy, very high-heeled, very uncomfortable shoes: when their skeletons will be unearthed in 1,000 years, people will be quick to say the 20th century used torturing devices to deform women's feet!