Child's Suede Boots, ca. 1900

These suede booties lace up the front and are lined with cotton twill. They are machine sewn, but they sport hand embroidery in a herringbone stitch around the opening. The brown-red color, known as “russet,” was popular in the late 1800s. Rounded toes eclipsed the square toes of previous decades.

The thread that joined the upper to the sole is missing on one of the shoes, revealing the method of construction. These shoes were made using the turned shoe method (Rexford 2000: 242)

References

Rexford, Nancy E. Women’s Shoes in America, 1795–1930. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2000.