Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Through the Sole in Words: A Wordle


What word is used the most in Through the Sole? Shoes!

In a class I am currently taking, the professor uses Wordle commonly, so I decided to make one of Through the Sole to show what words and topics come up frequently.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Shoes for a Cause: NFL Players to Wear Cleats to Commemorate September 11


Last year in honor of September 11, a day I will never forget, I wrote about wearing patriotic shoes in remembrance. Well, it seems some NFL players had a similar idea. They are going to wear patriotic cleats and gloves in remembrance.  

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Blast from the Past: 18th Century Shoemaking at Colonial Williamsburg

The outside of the shoemaker's shop in Colonial Williamsburg.

I recently visited Colonial Williamsburg and found an exciting shop, the shoemaker. Although the styles and process was a bit different from today, shoes had a role in that society. In fact, The College of William and Mary was partially founded on revenue collected from a tariff on shoes (Colonial Williamsburg, n.d.)!

Shoemaking has taken place in America since at least 1610 when the first shoemakers came to Jamestown, VA, according to Colonial Williamsburg.  In 1661, the Virginia Legislature mandated that each county have a shoe manufacturer.

The shoemaker shop in Williamsburg is set up to be that of George Wilson from the 1760s-1770s. Wilson was known for making fine boots and shoes for gentlemen.  As a side note, shoemakers either made shoes for men or for women, according to Colonial Williamsburg.