1. As the shoe is an article of primary utility, it was used, more or
less, in the earliest ages. Some writers suppose, that the Deity, in
clothing man with skins, did not leave him to go barefooted, but gave
him shoes of the same material.
2. The shoes of the ancient Egyptians were made of the papyrus. The
Chinese, as well as the inhabitants of India, and some other nations
of antiquity, manufactured them from silk, rushes, linen, wood, the
bark of trees, iron, brass, silver, and gold, and sometimes ornamented
them with precious stones.
3. The Romans had various coverings for the feet, the chief of which
were the _calceus_ and the _solea_. The calceus somewhat resembled the
shoe we wear at present, and was tied upon the instep with a latchet
or lace. The solea, or sandal, was a thick cork sole, covered above
and beneath with leather, and neatly stitched on the edge. It left the
upper part of the foot bare, and was fastened to it by means of
straps, which were crossed over the instep, and wound about the ankle.
Roman citizens wore the calceus with the toga, when they went abroad
in the city, while the solea was worn at home and on journeys. The
solea was also used at entertainments; but it was changed for the
calceus, when the guests were about to surround the table.
4. The senators wore shoes, which came up to the middle of the leg,
and which had a golden or silver crescent on the top of the foot. The
shoes of the women were generally white, sometimes red, scarlet, or
purple, and were adorned with embroidery and pearls; but those of the
men were mostly black. On days of public ceremony, however, the
magistrates wore red shoes.
5. Boots were used in very ancient times, and were primarily worn, as
a kind of armor, with a view of protecting the lower extremities in
battle. They were, at first, made of leather, afterwards of brass or
iron, and were proof against the thrusts and cuts of warlike weapons.
The boot was called _ocrea_ by the Romans, who, as well as the Greeks,
used it in the army, and in riding on horseback, and sometimes in
pedestrian journeys.
6. The fashion of boots and shoes, like every other part of dress, has
been subject to a number of changes, as regards both their form and
material. In Europe, about one thousand years ago, the greatest
princes wore shoes with wooden soles. In the reign of William Rufus,
of England, the shoes of the great had long, sharp points, stuffed
with tow, and twisted like a ram's horn. The clergy preached against
this fashion; but the points continued to increase in length, until
the reign of Richard the Second, when they were tied to the knees with
chains of silver or gold. In the year 1463, Parliament interposed, and
prohibited the manufacture or use of shoes or boots with _pikes_
exceeding two inches in length.
7. Lasts adapted to each foot, commonly called _rights and lefts_,
were not introduced into England, until about the year 1785; nor was
cramping, or _crimping_, the front part of boots practised there for
ten years after that period. These improvements did not become
generally known, or, at least, were not much used, in the United
States, for many years after their adoption in Great Britain.
8. Many facts, besides the preceding, might be adduced to prove, that
the art of making shoes and boots, although uninterruptedly practised
from the earliest ages, has received many important improvements
within the last fifty years.
9. In Europe and America, boots and shoes are commonly made of
leather. In shoes for females, however, it is not unusual to use
prunello, which is a kind of twilled, worsted cloth. In all cases,
thick leather is used for the soles.
10. The business of _making_ boots and shoes is carried on very
systematically in large establishments. The materials are cut out and
fitted by the foreman, or by the person who carries on the business,
whilst the pieces are stitched together, and the work finished, by
workmen who sit upon _the bench_.
11. As a matter of convenience, the trade have fixed upon certain
sizes, which are designated by numbers; and, corresponding to these,
the lasts are formed by the last-maker; but, to be still more exact,
individuals sometimes procure lasts corresponding to their feet, on
which they cause their boots and shoes to be made.
12. The following is a description of the process of making a leather
shoe: after the materials have been cut out according to the measure,
or size, and the parts of the _uppers_ have been stitched together,
the sole-leather is hammered on the _lapstone_, tacked to the last,
and trimmed with a knife. The upper leather is next stretched on the
last with a pair of pincers, fastened to its proper place with tacks,
and then sewed to the bottom of the sole with a waxed thread. A narrow
strip of leather, called a _welt_, is also fastened to the sole by
similar means, and to this is stitched another sole. A heel being
added, the shoe is finished by trimming and polishing it with
appropriate instruments.
13. The edges of fine leather shoes and boots, are trimmed with thin
strips of the like material, whilst those of prunello, and other thin
shoes for ladies, are bound with narrow tape. The binding is applied
by females with thread, by means of a common needle.
14. Shoe-thread is commonly spun from flax; that from hemp is much
stronger, and was formerly preferred; but it is now used only for very
strong work. The greater part of the shoe-thread used in the United
States, is spun by machinery, at Leeds, in England, from Russian flax.
The wax employed by shoemakers, was formerly composed of tar and
rosin; but it is now most usually made of pitch.
15. The shoemaker, in sewing together different parts of his work,
uses threads of various sizes, which are composed of several small
threads of different lengths. A hog's bristle is fastened to each end
of it, which enables the workman to pass it with facility through the
holes made with the awl.
16. An expeditious way of fastening the soles of boots and shoes to
the upper leathers, is found in the use of wooden pegs or brass nails.
The old method, however, is generally preferred, on several accounts;
but chiefly, because the work is more durable, and because it can be
more easily repaired.
17. Journeymen working at this trade most usually confine their
labours to particular kinds of work; as few can follow every branch
with advantage. Some make shoes and boots for men; others confine
their labours to those designed for ladies; but, by their aid, the
master-shoemaker can, and usually does, supply every kind at his
store.
18. It is no uncommon thing in the country, for the farmers to
purchase leather, and employ the shoemaker to make it up; and this is
done, in most cases, on their own premises. The shoemaker employed in
this way, removes from house to house, changing his location, whenever
he has completely served a whole family in his vocation. In such
cases, he is said, by the trade, to be _whipping the cat_. The set of
tools with which he operates, is called his _kit_.
19. The shoemaker usually buys his leather from the manufacturer; and
procures his tools, tacks, and various other articles of a similar
nature, at the _finding stores_. In some cases, the shoemaker with
little or no capital, gets his materials from the _leather-cutter_,
who makes it a business to supply them ready cut to the proper size
and shape. There are, however, but few leather-cutters in our country;
but, in England, this branch of trade is one of considerable
importance, and is frequently connected with that of the
leather-dresser.
[Illustration: HARNESS MAKER &c.]