Woman's Side Lace Shoes
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Description
These are a pair of black kid leather boots. Kid leather, or kidskin, is a type of soft, thin leather typically made from goat skin. These boots open down the side and are fastened with shoe lacings. The laces are black, although faded, and there are gold-colored metal aglets on the end of the laces, which might be made of brass. There is a pointed decorative zigzag centerpiece that runs from the toe to the top of the shoe.
The heels are low and somewhat curved, like those found on slippers. There are also nails in the bottom of the heels. On the bottom of each sole is embossed, “Cork Sole Turn Patented”. On the right top side of the leather lining on one of the shoes is embossed, “Evans & Young. 19 Broad St. Pawtucket R.I." Underneath the inside of the shoe it again is printed “Cork Sole Turn 2 A 14703 Patented”.
These shoes are dated to the mid-late 1890s, a time when this style of shoe was becoming less fashionable.
After the invention of the sewing machine, production of fashion became mechanized, at first for clothes rather than shoes. Machines such as one to sew the sole of a shoe onto the upper, patented by Lyman Reed Blake in 1858, decreased the cost of, and time to, produce shoes. By the end of the 19th-century, footwear had become largely mechanized, which made it a lot cheaper and more accessible to a larger customer audience. This led to shoes eventually becoming more of a fashion accessory, rather than just a necessity.
References
“Find Civil War, Victorian Boots & Shoes for Kids.” Vintage Dancer, https://vintagedancer.com/victorian/find-civil-war-victorian-boots-shoes-kids/.
Franklin, Harper. “1890-1899.” Fashion History Timeline, 1 Aug. 2019, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1890-1899/.
“Kidskin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Sept. 2021,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidskin.
Metmuseum.org, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/168445.
“New Victorian Style Boots for Women.” Vintage Dancer, https://vintagedancer.com/victorian/victorian-boots-shoes-history/.
Steere, Joann Bussian, and Susan J. Jerome. “The Perrin Collection.” Historic Textile and Costume Collection, https://uritextilecollection.omeka.net/collections/show/18.