History of shoes (37 photos)

It is interesting to find out what our ancestors wore, where this name came from and who wore what.
Cognitive information from the Middle Ages to the XIX century.
Let's go.




The history of shoes goes back more than one millennium. The most reliable information about what shoes our ancestors wore dates back to the time of the existence of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. At that time, all kinds of sandals were popular, which were made in such a way that it was possible to distinguish representatives of different classes by shoes. In addition, men's and women's shoes differed in color, and embroidery and pearl jewelry indicated that such shoes were intended for special occasions.

Medieval Europe offered shoes with long, upturned toes to replace sandals. Since then, the fashion for shoes has become easier to trace - from paintings, engravings and illustrations. In addition, shoes of that time are quite widely represented in museums.

In the Middle Ages, poulains are especially interesting - shoes with long, upturned toes, which were often decorated with bells or bells.

The French king Philip IV even issued a special law according to which all the nobility had to wear only such shoes. In the XIV century, the length of shoes demonstrated the nobility of their owner: the nose of the shoes increased in length depending on the rank. To make it comfortable to walk and not stumble, very long noses tied the curved tip of the shoe to the foot with twine. This shape of the toes of the shoes was retained even in armor.

Poulains in painting and an element of armor exhibited in the museum



Fragment of a painting and museum exhibits (approximately XIV-XV century)



Image on wooden canvas: St. George slaying a dragon.

During the Renaissance, shoes were made of leather, velvet, silk and woolen fabric of different colors. They wore boots and shoes made of soft leather or suede. Outwardly, the shoes of those times were getting closer and closer to the models that we wear today. Shoes were decorated with patterned perforations, materials of different colors were used in the manufacture.



Women's shoes made in Italy (1605)

In the XV century, shoes became more comfortable due to the fact that they changed, becoming shorter and wider (such models are called "cow muzzles"). With the increase and expansion of the front part of the pair, the rear part narrowed and decreased, and already in the 20s of the XVI century, the shoes became so small that they could hardly stay on the feet and therefore were fastened with ties on the instep.



An element of armor; leather shoes made in England (XVI century).



Along with the fashion for numerous slits in the costume, "bear paws" came into fashion - shoes made of colored leather or velvet, without heels with wide toes, fashionable in the middle of the XVI century. They were decorated with cuts, through which the lining of a different color was visible.



Portrait of Philip II; a fragment of a pictorial image.

In the XVII century, in the Baroque era, heels and bows on shoes came into fashion. At balls, even men were required to appear in shoes decorated with huge ribbon bows (there could even be two such bows: one, larger, on the instep, the other, smaller, near the toe). But on all other occasions in life, they preferred boots - high boots with square toes, the tops of which ended in wide bells. They were usually lowered to the level of the knees and worn together with the canons - a kind of gaiters and trimmed with thin lace at the top.



Over-the-knee boots from the museum; painting by Pieter de Hooch "Empty Glass".



The height of the sole and heels reached their limit in the XVII century, during the reign of Louis XIV (it is believed that the king, being small in stature, introduced the fashion for high heels intentionally to appear taller). High heels of red color (sometimes even painted with elegant miniatures) for a long time came into use among court cavaliers.



Portraits of Louis XIV, 1670 and 1701.



Male portraits of the early XVII century.

At that time, ladies wore elegant, light shoes made of velvet, silk and brocade. It is noteworthy that one of the popular models was slap-sole shoes, the idea of which was borrowed from the men's wardrobe. Initially, such shoes were for men and they were used during horseback riding. The principle of their operation was as follows: the heel held the foot in the stirrup, but when dismounting, it fell into the ground, which caused inconvenience. Therefore, to protect the heel and convenience, a separate sole was put on the shoes. Its peculiarity was that when walking, it knocked on the heel.



Female portraits of the early XVII century





Presumably Italian shoes, circa 1670; French shoes made of silk and leather, 1690-1700



Shoes made in 1651; presumably Italian shoes, 1690-1720



Italian shoes with patterned stands to protect against puddles and dirt, 1660s; Slap-sole shoes.

In the XVIII century, the Rococo era, the importance of jewelry and décor in shoes increased even more: buckles, lacing and bows. For women's shoes of those years, a heel in the form of a glass and shoes without backs are typical.



Male portraits of the first and second half of the XVIII century



An illustration from the end of the XVIII century; Portrait of a Woman, 1763



François Boucher "The Toilet", 1742



European shoes, 1750-1760; presumably English shoes, early 1730s



French shoes, early XVIII century; European shoes, 1780–85



Women's shoes with protective patterns



Shoes of the first half of the XVIII century

During and after the Revolution in France, a real revolution also took place in fashion under the sign of "a return to the ancient costume". It was a kind of protest against the aristocracy. The heel disappeared, multi-colored shoes with ties became popular, reminiscent of modern "ballet flats" and boots in the same style. Shoes were often decorated with embroidery with wool, silk and beads.



Thomas Lawrence, Portrait of George IV, 1816; Portrait of Louise d'Orléans, 1830



Portrait of Félicité-Louise Durfort, 1808; Portrait of Varvara Golitsyna, 1792



Shoes, 1820; Shoes, 1851



Wedding shoes, 1865; Women's shoes, 1845-1865



European shoes, 1800; Queen Victoria's wedding shoes



The "ancestors" of modern sleepers, made in England, approximately 1800-1850



Women's shoes, 1850; evening shoes of Empress Eugenie



Such shoes made of silk and satin needed protection in bad weather on the street.

With the return of crinolines, and later tourniquets, skirts almost completely cover shoes. From the middle of the XIX century, heeled shoes began to appear, silk shoes were replaced by comfortable and practical leather boots. The shape of the shoes becomes more rigid, lacing and fasteners appear. The most fashionable model of that time was low boots and high boots with a medium-high "glass" heel with buttons and lacing.



Evening shoes, 1875–85; wedding shoes, made in 1886



Evening shoes, 1875–85; Women's shoes 1855-1865



Shoes made in 1900; Shoes, 1865-1875



Button Boots, 1870-79; Boots, 1895-1915



James Tissot "October", 1877; "Breakfast", 1868



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