The Boot and Shoe Trades in London and Paris in the Long Eighteenth Century

Women's shoes cost between 20 and 100 pence with an average between 25
and 60 pence (fig. 3.6). Women's shoes were therefore less expensive than
men's shoes. The same can be said about women's boots. Figure 3.7 show us
how women's boots became fashionable only in the 1810s. The observation in
the 1760s refers to riding boots. Prices ranged from 30 to 120 pence with a
concentration on the range between 50 and 80 pence. Figure 3.8 is presenting all
four categories of footwear. The first observation is that the range of prices is
different in men's and women's wear. While men's shoes could have
fluctuations of prices multiplying 7 to 8 times, women's shoes normally only
fluctuated up to 4 times their minimum price. However this range of prices is
smaller than in textiles or other luxury goods.
The second element figure 3.8 shows us is the high cost of men's boots not
only compared to women's boots, but also compared to men's shoes. A pair of
men's boots cost from two to three times the cost of a pair of men's shoes. A
pair of women's boots cost one and a half times the cost of a pair of women's
shoes.
Figure 3.8 - Prices of Boots and Shoes, 1720-1860
600
•men'sshoes
o men's boots
500 -
• Women's shoes
400
300
200
100
Source: see fig. 3.4
• Women's boots
0
0 00
Si.
000
O0
o , . _o 00
• .
.
1720 1740 1760
1780 1800 1820 1840 1860
115
year