Pumped: The Art & Craft of Shoemaking at Charlotte, NC's Mint Museum

Back in June I was in Charlotte and was able to see Pumped: The Art & Craft of Shoemaking, an exhibit on the art of shoe making at The Mint Museum.

The exhibit ran from May to August, so unfortunately it is no longer open. Still you can enjoy my pictures and what I learned.

These are silk shoes from the early 1700s. Like other shoes from the time, they were made so that each foot was identical.

These are silk boots from the mid-1800s. They are beautiful, but seem very unpractical, like they would get filth the minute you walked outside.

These are some of the tools used in shoe making. It reminds me of visiting the shoe making shop in Colonial Williamsburg. 

These shoes are from the 1860s and represent a return to embellished shoes. Hooped-skirts were becoming popular and allowed glimpses of the wearer's shoes.

These are slippers from the 1890s but both remind me of more modern styles.

These shoes which include clear plastic are from the 1940-60s but remind me of newer shoes, including Cinderella's glass slipper being re-imagined. 

If you thought heelless shoes were a thing of modern times, these are from 1955-1960.

And one of m favorite displays, the shoe on the left are Yves Saint Laurent haute couture while those on the right are a knock-off. While the look similar, the knock-off is slightly different to avoid copyright infringement. The original is made of leather and the punches are done by hand. The knock off is made of man-made materials and the punching was done by machine.

Shoe History: The Birth and History of the Stiletto

Stilettos with the amazing tall and thin heel are synonymous with sexiness and femininity, but when was this famous shoe invented?

Ancient Greeks may have worn sandals according to History of Sandals and in the 16th and 17th centuries chopine, very high and difficult to walk in platforms, were fashionable, according to All About Shoes.

It wasn't until after World War II that the stiletto became all the rage. After the war, women left their jobs and returned to domestic life. As this shift occurred, heels became higher, according to Hilary Greenbaum and Dana Rubinstein of the New York Times.

The exact inventor of the stiletto is unknown. While Ferragamo, Roger Vivier and Perugia have all been credited with invention, the shoe was most likely designed by a mix of Italian shoemakers, potentially with French designers involved.

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.

5,500 year old shoe found in Armenia

Archeologists discovered the world’s oldest leather shoe. It was found in a cave in Armenia.

Interestingly, this shoe helps us to understand the connection between humans and shoes, through the lens of history. (For previous discussion on the history of humans and shoes, see 

Does History Explain Why Humans Love Shoes?)

Surprisingly, the shoe has some similarities to modern shoes. Like most sneakers, it has eyelets and laces. It is a flat shoe, and “the shoe more closely resembles an L. L.Bean-type soft-soled walking shoe than anything by Jimmy Choo” (Belluck, 2010). Despite over 5,000 years, shoe styles have not changed that much.

Does History Explain Why Humans Love Shoes?

The oldest shoes discovered are from 8,000 to 2000 years BC. Archeologists believe that humans have been covering their feet for protection for 40,000 years. Amazingly, archeologists know how long humans have been wearing shoes because they have created anatomic changes in feet. Scientists believe that toes have gotten more graceful and narrow, compared to legs, because toes in shoes have less impact with the ground. As a result, toes do not need to be strong. (Hirst, n.d.).

Yet, why do humans wear shoes? Why did they begin to do something that weakened part of their body? The classic response is to protect their feet from the cold and sharp objects; however, no other species, even those closely related to humans, protects their feet. Furthermore, shoes may not actually be good for feet. Harvard evolutionary biologist Dr. Daniel Lieberman studied barefoot runners and compared their movements to runners wearing shoes. He found that when barefoot runners land on the part of their foot that can most handle the impact (Fantz, 2010). Thus, although humans have been wearing shoes for thousands of years they may be causing injuries because when wearing shoes, one has less ability to judge the proper point of impact with the ground. No specific research has been done to understand why humans began wearing shoes. Instead, people accept that shoes were invented for protection from the elements. Nevertheless, Lieberman’s recent research suggests shoes may not be as necessary for protection and safety as humans think. Thus, history does not present a clear explanation for why humans began to wear shoes.

Interestingly, shoe history begins to explain the wide array of shoes available today—flip-flops, sneakers, stilettos, and lace-up booties. According to Jenna Tedrick Kuttruff, a textile expert at Louisiana State University, among 8,000 year old shoes found in a Missouri Cave, no two were alike. She said, “They didn't need to make each pair different. But it's human nature to make things visually appealing, to make one pair a little more complex than others to set it apart from someone else's" (Newman, 2006). Thus, the earliest shoe wearers seem to have taken pride in their shoes akin to the pride a woman today feels putting on her new platform wedges or a man today feels in his brightly colored new sneakers.

Although ancient humans may not have needed to wear shoes, they felt the need to cover their feet and began to use shoes to represent their individuality.

Sources:

Fantz, A. (2010). Running debate: Bare or in shoes?. CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2010 from http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/12/barefoot.running/index.html?eref=rss_health&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_health+(RSS:+Health).

Hirst, K.K. (n.d.) History of Shoe. About.com: Archeology. Retrieved February 14, 2010 from http://archaeology.about.com/od/fterms/qt/footwear_histor.htm?r=et.

Newman, C. (2006). The Joy of Shoes. National Geographic. Retrieved February 14, 2010 from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/09/joy-of-shoes/newman-text/1.