Pair of leather children's boots
Soft leather boots
Name/Title
Pair of leather children's bootsEntry/Object ID
2025.1.736Description
Soft leather ankle boots for a child or young adult. Seven pairs of eyelets for laces. Soft soles that would not be waterproof.Context
Shoes were not shaped to fit the right and left foot until the 1850’s and later. Before that time, people shaped their leather shoes and boots to their feet by soaking them in water, then wearing them until they were dry. These boots are possibly late Victorian as they appear to be machine stitched and a machine to sew soles to uppers was not patented until 1858. Before that, making shoes was a craft, as they were made by hand, and sewing a hard leather sole to the upper took much effort. Although there is no accurate date for the introduction of tongues to shoes and boots, which these boots have, it is most likely to have developed in the later part of the century.Category
Clothing