SHOE HISTORY
In very ancient times, man covered his feet with the closest available materials--bark, woven grass, large leaves, or animal skins and tied them to the sole with vines. From these primitive beginnings developed the three standard kinds of footwear--the sandal, the shoe, and the boot.
Ancient men in warmer climates, invented the sandal to protect his feet from sharp rocks, and did so by strapping a mat of woven grass, a strip of animal hide, or a slab of flat wood to his feet with "thongs" he cut out of animal hide.
Ancient man, living in colder climates, is credited with making the first shoes, by adding material to the top of the crude "sandals" his neighbors in warmer climates had invented. He did so out of necessity, to give his feet additional protection from the cold.
The world's oldest leather shoe, made from a single piece of cowhide laced with a leather cord along seams at the front and back, was found in Armenia in 2008 and is believed to date to 3500 BC. The shoe was found in near-perfect condition with a thick layer of sheep dung having acted as a solid seal.
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| The oldest known leather shoe, about 5500 years old, found in Armenia |
During the Kassite period (c. 1600-1200 BC) in Mesopotamia, soft shoes were introduced by mountain people on the border of Iran with rawhide lacings.
Ancient Greeks invented the boot, by replacing the sandal's thongs with solid leather.
The Romans, who established shoe guilds, developed shaped shoes fitted for the left or right foot. Their footwear was differentiated according to sex and rank.
Ancient Greeks invented the boot, by replacing the sandal's thongs with solid leather.
The Romans, who established shoe guilds, developed shaped shoes fitted for the left or right foot. Their footwear was differentiated according to sex and rank.
Carbatinae were a type of shoes commonly worn in ancient Greece and Rome. They were typically crafted from a single piece of leather, often with a simple design, and were tied onto the foot using laces or straps. The construction of the carbatinae allowed for flexibility and comfort while providing basic protection to the wearer's feet. These shoes were popular among both men and women during that time period and were commonly used for everyday activities.
Many of the crude shoes that the ancients wore have endured and are still around today. Common examples include the sandals the ancient Greeks and Romans wore, the moccasins Native Americans had on their feet, and the clogs people in the Netherlands still use.
In the beginning of the Middle Ages, shoes were generally simple. Moccasin types made of untanned leather were generally worn, which later became buckled or tied around the ankle.
Around the time the Crusades began, modern shoes appeared on the scene. The Crusaders, who went on long treks, needed durable, comfortable shoes that people then began making for this purpose.
King Edward II of England originated shoe sizes in 1324 when he decreed that one inch should be the measure of three dried barleycorns. This ruling made it possible to produce well-fitting shoes in large numbers, rather than making each pair based on an individual’s measurements. The longest normal foot measured 39 barleycorns, or 13 inches, and was called size 13. Smaller sizes were graded down from this number, each by a third of an inch.
In the 1400s, a popular form of shoes sported extremely long toes. The length of the toes, which could measure over 20 inches, was an indication of the social status of the person wearing them. These shoes were thought to have originated in Kraków, then the capital of Poland and the French called these long shoes "poulaines" after the Baltic country, and the English, "crakows." Some dandies wore shoes two and one half feet from heel to toe and held up the toes by tying them to the knees with chains.
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| Footwear of Roman soldiers. By Agaath van der Oord |
Many of the crude shoes that the ancients wore have endured and are still around today. Common examples include the sandals the ancient Greeks and Romans wore, the moccasins Native Americans had on their feet, and the clogs people in the Netherlands still use.
In the beginning of the Middle Ages, shoes were generally simple. Moccasin types made of untanned leather were generally worn, which later became buckled or tied around the ankle.
Around the time the Crusades began, modern shoes appeared on the scene. The Crusaders, who went on long treks, needed durable, comfortable shoes that people then began making for this purpose.
King Edward II of England originated shoe sizes in 1324 when he decreed that one inch should be the measure of three dried barleycorns. This ruling made it possible to produce well-fitting shoes in large numbers, rather than making each pair based on an individual’s measurements. The longest normal foot measured 39 barleycorns, or 13 inches, and was called size 13. Smaller sizes were graded down from this number, each by a third of an inch.
In the 1400s, a popular form of shoes sported extremely long toes. The length of the toes, which could measure over 20 inches, was an indication of the social status of the person wearing them. These shoes were thought to have originated in Kraków, then the capital of Poland and the French called these long shoes "poulaines" after the Baltic country, and the English, "crakows." Some dandies wore shoes two and one half feet from heel to toe and held up the toes by tying them to the knees with chains.
Crakows became so long that when Austrian knights had to dismount in the Battle of Sempach, their shoes were too long to run in, forcing them to hack off the tips. A painting of the battle shows the tip pile left behind.
During the Renaissance, shoe fashions ran to ridiculous extremes. The duckbill, a style of shoe with a broad toe shaped like a duck's bill came into fashion in the late 15th and 16th centuries. This style started with Charles VIII of France (1470 – 1498), who had an extra toe and was later worn by Henry VIII of England. It replaced the excessively long toe of the poulaine but also tended to become impractical as it became enlarged with stuffing and horns and with its ever-wider toe attaining a width of 9 inches, it gave the wearer a waddling gait. Eventually, laws were issued to put an end to these extravagant styles.
During the 16th century, variety in the design of men's shoes increased, with footwear having either leather or cork soles and uppers made of velvet, silk, or leather; it was also the fashion, as in clothes, to slash the shoes in order to reveal a lining of a different color. Women's shoes were similar to men's but were less conspicuous because they were covered by voluminous gowns.
A chopine is a type of women's platform shoe that was worn in Venice by both courtesans and patrician women in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. These shoes on top of stilt-like blocks of wood were originally used as a patten, clog, or overshoe to protect the shoes and dress from mud and street soil. However, during the Renaissance, chopines became an article of women's fashion and were made increasingly taller; some extant examples are over 20 inches as the height of the chopine became a symbolic reference to the cultural and social standing of the wearer.
In North America shoemaking as a craft began in 1629 when Thomas Beard, a shoemaker, arrived from London. He settled in Salem, Massachsetts where he opened a shop in which he could practice his trade.
Many early colonists tanned leather and made their own stout leather shoes with a moderate heel. Later, itinerant cobblers went from town to town. They made crudely formed, silver-buckled shoes that could be worn on either foot.
In 17th-century Europe, boots were generally worn. Shoes had moderately high heels and were often decorated with large rosettes made of lace and ribbons.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Europe, the heels of shoes were always colored red.
The first shoe factory appeared in Massachusetts in 1760, meaning shoes could now be produced in quantity in North America.
During the Renaissance, shoe fashions ran to ridiculous extremes. The duckbill, a style of shoe with a broad toe shaped like a duck's bill came into fashion in the late 15th and 16th centuries. This style started with Charles VIII of France (1470 – 1498), who had an extra toe and was later worn by Henry VIII of England. It replaced the excessively long toe of the poulaine but also tended to become impractical as it became enlarged with stuffing and horns and with its ever-wider toe attaining a width of 9 inches, it gave the wearer a waddling gait. Eventually, laws were issued to put an end to these extravagant styles.
During the 16th century, variety in the design of men's shoes increased, with footwear having either leather or cork soles and uppers made of velvet, silk, or leather; it was also the fashion, as in clothes, to slash the shoes in order to reveal a lining of a different color. Women's shoes were similar to men's but were less conspicuous because they were covered by voluminous gowns.
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| Museum display of shoes. By Birgit Brånvall, |
A chopine is a type of women's platform shoe that was worn in Venice by both courtesans and patrician women in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. These shoes on top of stilt-like blocks of wood were originally used as a patten, clog, or overshoe to protect the shoes and dress from mud and street soil. However, during the Renaissance, chopines became an article of women's fashion and were made increasingly taller; some extant examples are over 20 inches as the height of the chopine became a symbolic reference to the cultural and social standing of the wearer.
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| A 16th-century Venetian chopine.By Rama & the Shoe Museum in Lausanne |
In North America shoemaking as a craft began in 1629 when Thomas Beard, a shoemaker, arrived from London. He settled in Salem, Massachsetts where he opened a shop in which he could practice his trade.
Many early colonists tanned leather and made their own stout leather shoes with a moderate heel. Later, itinerant cobblers went from town to town. They made crudely formed, silver-buckled shoes that could be worn on either foot.
In 17th-century Europe, boots were generally worn. Shoes had moderately high heels and were often decorated with large rosettes made of lace and ribbons.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Europe, the heels of shoes were always colored red.
The first shoe factory appeared in Massachusetts in 1760, meaning shoes could now be produced in quantity in North America.
The origins of Birkenstock, the German shoe manufacturer known for its sandals and other shoes, date to 1774. Church records from the German village of Langen-Bergheim registered Johannes Birkenstock as a local cobbler in that year.
Some children during the Industrial Revolution were so poor their schools had to lend them shoes - and stamp them with a warning not to pawn them for money for food.
Napoleon would make his servants wear his boots to break them in before he wore them.
Until the 19th century shoemakers made shoes on a single straight last, or wooden form. So each shoe was identical in shape and there were no left and right shoes. Eventually, the shoes molded themselves to the wearer's feet.
It was Philadelphia boot maker William Young who first made shoes specifically for left and right feet in 1800. However, it wasn't until the time of the American Civil War that the manufacture of right and left shoes first became generally accepted.
The United States shoe-size system evolved from the mid-19th century, when the mass production and marketing of shoes became possible.
German master cobbler Konrad Birkenstock invented arch supports in 1897. He designed shoes that followed the shape of the foot so that comfort would increase. The basic design revolutionized the footwear industry.
Some children during the Industrial Revolution were so poor their schools had to lend them shoes - and stamp them with a warning not to pawn them for money for food.
Napoleon would make his servants wear his boots to break them in before he wore them.
Until the 19th century shoemakers made shoes on a single straight last, or wooden form. So each shoe was identical in shape and there were no left and right shoes. Eventually, the shoes molded themselves to the wearer's feet.
It was Philadelphia boot maker William Young who first made shoes specifically for left and right feet in 1800. However, it wasn't until the time of the American Civil War that the manufacture of right and left shoes first became generally accepted.
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| shoemaker in the Georgian era, from The Book of English Trades, 1821. |
The United States shoe-size system evolved from the mid-19th century, when the mass production and marketing of shoes became possible.
German master cobbler Konrad Birkenstock invented arch supports in 1897. He designed shoes that followed the shape of the foot so that comfort would increase. The basic design revolutionized the footwear industry.
The standard instrument used to measure a person's shoe size is the Brannock Device, named after its inventor Charles F. Brannock, who patented it in 1925. He eventually improved on the wooden RITZ Stick, the industry standard of the day. The inventor formed the Brannock Device Company to manufacture the device and headed the company until he died 1992 at age 89.
Penny loafers were named after American students in the 1930s who pushed pennies into the slot on the shoe in case they needed to make phone calls.
Flip-flops were inspired by Japanese straw-soled zori, which were popular in New Zealand in the 1930s, where they are known as jandals. The modern flip-flop was invented by Maurice Yock in 1957.
The Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corp. registered in 1961 "Hush Puppies" as a trade name for the soft shoes they were manufacturing. The name was adopted as it conjures up an image of softness.
Stephen Rubin (b December 1937) turned the Liverpool Shoe Company into Pentland Group, the UK's largest sports apparel and footwear company. The Pentland Group owns a number of brands including Berghaus, Mitre and Speedo, amongst others. It is also the majority owner of JD Sports Fashion PLC.
FUN SHOE FACTS
The phrase "goody two shoes" comes from a fable written in 1766 by Oliver Goldsmith about a poor little girl who could only afford one shoe.
According to a 2005 study, British women possess £637 million worth of high heels that they have never worn.
Before Queen Elizabeth II puts new shoes on, a member of the royal household breaks them in for her. The Royal Shoe Breaker-Inner trots around the palace's hallowed hallways in her Majesty's new kicks until they are comfortable.
Over her lifetime, the average UK woman spends more than £33,000 on shoes, according to a 2008 survey by beauty company Olay. The survey reckons Ms Average owns 44 pairs of shoes, including eight pairs of boots, nine pairs of trainers and 12 pairs of flip-flops. In addition almost two thirds of women own an average of 10 pairs of shoes they have never actually worn or have only put on once or twice.
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| Pixiebay |
Over 300 million children worldwide have no shoes, exposing them to soil-transmitted parasites and diseases.
That metal thing shoe salesmen use to measure your feet is called the Brannock device.
The reason Converse shoes have a piece of felt on the sole is so they can be classified as a slipper instead of a sneaker. By doing this they are able to lower their import tariff tax from 37.5% to only 3%.
A person's right shoe will wear out faster than their left shoe.
Sources Encyclopaedia Britannica, Comptons Encyclopedia
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