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An
Interesting Outline of Footwear History |
Footwear
has a history which goes back many thousands of years, and has long been
an article of prestige. The earliest footwear, probably made of plaited
grass or rawhide held to the foot with thongs was undoubtedly born of the
necessity to provide some protection when moving over rough terrain in
varying weather conditions, and there still exist examples of footwear
from ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, Chinese and Vikings.
Soon,
however, the rich and influential began distinguishing themselves by the
craftsmanship and decoration which characterized their shoes.
Throughout history, too, footwear has figured widely in mythology, folk
stories and superstition. The Greek god Mercury wore winged sandals, and
there are very few Europeans who do not remember childhood tales of Puss
in Boots, the Seven League Boots, Cinderella and the Old Woman who Lived
in a Shoe, and most cultures have stories where shoes play a starring
role. The cobbler has always been a romantic figure, and even today it is
traditional to tie a boot or shoe to the back of the newlyweds' car as a
good luck token.
In ancient times, as today, the basic type of shoe worn depended on the
climate. In warmer areas, the sandal was, and still is, the most popular
form of footwear. It varied from the primitive form worn thousands of
years before Christ, to beautifully finished versions with many straps and
intricate decoration. The modern moccasin derives from the original shoe
adopted in cold climates by races as different as North American Indians,
Eskimos, Laplanders and Siberian tribesmen. The distinctive seam on the
upper of a modern moccasin is all that remains, however, of the puckering
string that was gathered and tied about the ankles to give all over
protection to the foot.
Shoes have not always served such a purely functional purpose, however,
and the requirements of fashion have dictated some curious designs, not
all of which made walking easy. The "cracowes" of mediaeval time, famous
for their long tapering points, eventually became so long and tapering as
to make walking impossible, and their successors, the duckbill shoes of
the 16th and 17th centuries were so wide and flat that they too created
severe problems. Neither did the mediaeval period have the monopoly of
impractical fashion shoes. In our own times the stiletto heel became so
high and narrow that it not only made walking difficult and risky, but
also damaged floors and carpets, while the "platform" fashion of the
1970's gave us soles several inches thick. top
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Specialized footwear for specific purposes was not known until
comparatively recent times, this being particularly true of the military,
where footwear was given little or no consideration until the 17th
century.
One exception to this was the Roman "caligae", which were substantial,
hard-wearing platforms of three or four layers of vegetable-tanned cattle
hide strapped around the foot and ankle.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, however, nobody adopted the
robustness and durability of Roman military footwear, and for over 1000
years soldiers generally wore whatever civilian shoes were available. Even
shoes of suits of armour followed the fashion for long pointed toes, and
were worn over soft cordwain leather shoes. Foot soldiers, however, went
without the protection of armour, and their shoes were more like flimsy
slippers than sturdy walking and fighting shoes. From the 11th century
half boots with leather covering the foot to about two inches above the
ankle began to appear, but they were little more than modified shoes.
Long boots, of varying lengths, were also in use, but did not become
common before the 16th century, and were in any case heel-less.
Real long boots giving support and protection to ankles and legs were not
in common use before the mid 17th century, when heel-making techniques had
made progress. From this time on, army commanders began giving much
greater attention to their soldiers' feet, and the history of modern
military footwear can be dated from this period.
It is basically true to suggest that, prior to 1600, there was no such
thing as a true heel. During the 1590s some low heels of wood or cork had
been produced, and before that wedges of cork or leather lifts had been
tried as heels, but with very limited success, since they made walking
difficult. Once true heels appeared, other forms rapidly disappeared.
Experiments with heel construction led to heels held together with wooden
pegs on robust bottoms, which were necessary to support the foot on high
heeled boots. This development led, however, to problems in pairing shoes,
and from the early 17th century to the 1820s it was customary to make
"straight" shoes to be worn on either foot. Generally footwear had been
paired for left and right feet since Roman times, but the development of
raised heels created the need for shoe and boot bottoms with a more
precise shape and greater stability than before. top
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For centuries shoes had been on two types of lasts. The earlier, metal
last was roughly the shape of the human foot, and possibly Roman in
origin, and was used as an anvil to rivet iron hobnails into the leather.
The second last was made of wood, and was a form which determined the
precise size and shape of the upper, which was then stitched together on
it. No lasts were used for the soft leather turn-shoes which were in use
from early mediaeval times until the 16th century, but shaping lasts had
been essential to hold and form welted shoes during stitching from the
14th century onward.
While there was little difference in kind between men's and women's shoes
in the early 17th century, although they had by then become more stylish,
the left and right shoes formed mirror images of each other. The
development of heels created enormous problems in producing shaped wooden
lasts which were accurate enough to give sufficient strength to the shoe
for the heel to be mounted on it.
Straight lasts were much easier to make, and remained in general use until
the 1820s when last-turning leathers resolved most of the problems. Some
ladies shoes, however, continued to be made straight as late as the 1850s,
with two width fittings. The "slim" fit was made using the last as it was,
while the "wide" fitting was achieved by wrapping a shaped leather pad
around the last and removing it with the last once the shoe had been
assembled.
Article from Fenice.com. Copyright © 2002
Fenice S.p.A., All Rights Reserved.
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