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

What can appear to us particularly surprising is the way in which variety was
expressed. We are used to a wide variety of footwear, normally ready-made, that
is only distinguished into wide categories. In the eighteenth century shoes were
normally classified according to a typology. In many cases such classification
referred to the material employed (black satin, calemaco, Spanish leather, calf,
etc.). In other cases it could be the use (strong shoes, walking shoes, dress shoes,
ball shoes, army boots, shooting shoes, etc.). This functional classification was
particularly used in France. Not to mention a gender distinction (ladies', men's
and children's) that was also a parameter of differentiation of producers.
Sometimes it was also specified if the pail of boots or shoes had particular
productive distinctions, such as double soles, side laces or buttons. There was
then a distinction of class (ladies' fashionable shoes, gentlemen's dress shoes,
gentlemen's neat shoes, etc.). Words such as 'ladies', 'gentlemen', 'superior'
and 'best' referred to high quality products.
In a world where bespoke dominated and the contact between consumer and
products was normally the last part of a long transaction process, the product had
to be easily identifiable. Eighteenth-century bills show detailed descriptions of
the items for sale. Visual representation did not help very much. Only in rare
cases the model was designed. 75 In most cases customers and sellers had to
understand each other on the item required through a description. Letters to
shoemakers in the first half of the eighteenth century normally provided detailed
descriptions of the material, shape, heels and so on. The increasing importance
of ready-to-wear seemed to change such practice in the second half of the
century. Products were materially present in the act of acquiring them and the
distinction between one pair of shoes and another was more clearly associated to
price. In this new context the practice of attributing names to shoes became
increasingly common and different products were recognised by customers
simply by their names. Shoes such as Oxonian or Derby did not refer to any
shape, colour or use. This appears even more evident in boots, considered the
'new footwear' of the late eighteenth century. In this case there was not any
One of these rare examples comes from the Museo Correr in Venice. The drawing represents
the sole, heel and the uppers of a woman's pair of shoes by Panagin and Cochinato dated 10th
October 1782. In G. Mariacher, 'L'arte dei calzolai a Venezia dal XIII al XVIII secolo', in D.D.
Poli, 1 mestieri della moda a Venezia dal XIII and XVIII secolo (Venezia, 1988).
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