The Boot and Shoe Manufacturers' Assistant and Guide

The Boot and Shoe Manufacturers' Assistant and Guide. - Containing a Brief History of the Trade. History of India-rubber and Gutta-percha, and Their Application to the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes. Full Instructions in the Art, With Diagrams and Scales, Etc., Etc. Vulcanization and Sulphurization, English and American Patents. With an Elaborate Treatise on Tanning.

The readers of the Guide will be interested in an examination of the various styles of shoes, or rather coverings for the feet, that have prevailed, dating some fifteen hundred years prior to the advent of Christ. Some of the most unique, we have had engraved from Cantrells designs, which we here furnish, to give correct views. The first attempt, of which we have any account, to give style to the coverings of the feet, produced the Sandal. These differed in style, though slightly varied in form. Those used by the poorer classes were constructed of flat slices of the palm leaf, which, lapped over in the centre, formed the sole, and a double band of twisted leaves secured and strengthened the edge; a thong of the strong fibres of the same plant was affixed to each side of the instep, and was secured round the foot, while those indulged in by the more wealthy classes were made of leather, and were frequently lined with cloth, the point or end turning up like a pair of modern skates. The sandal reached its greatest perfection among the Romans. The emperor Aurelian gave the royal permission to the ladies of his time to wear sandals of various colors, the men not being permitted to indulge in so great a luxury. The Roman senators wore buskins of xvia black color, with a crescent of gold or silver on the top of the foot, while the soldiers wore simple sandals fastened by thongs. In the reign of Edward the Third, of England, those who worked at the shoe trade, were denominated the gentle craft, as they produced shoes of the most gorgeous description, the richest contrasts of color were elaborated and the greatest variety of pattern devised. Fig. 1 in this plate displays a beautiful design. It is supposed to be worn by one of the royal family. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 58605
Author: Richardson, William H.
Release Date: Jan 3, 2019
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Editor: Richardson, William H., of Boston