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

1. Introduction
Introduction
Stepping in
The boot and shoe trade can be considered a peculiar subject to write a Ph.D.
thesis about. From the perspective of the economic historian the lack of attraction
for this sector is evident. Un-mechanised until the second half of the nineteenth
century, it never fully fitted into the great narrative of the industrial revolution or of
Europe's industrialisation. Located in antithesis to a 'revolution', the boot and shoe
1k
trade can be considered a good example ofreservation of a traditional system of
production well into the nineteenth century. Some would argue that the word
'decline' can be applied to describe a withering trade in a moment of splendour. Its
mediocre performances until the twentieth century contrast with a general
environment of enormous economic development.
These few points partly explain the absence of any general survey of the sector
in Britain, as well as on the Continent. There is however a certain degree of
confusion between the historical importance of an event and the value attributed to
its investigation. Within this logic only two types of arguments should enter the
historical and economic agendas. On the one hand we should be interested in
'happy ending' stories. Evolution is taken to be synonymous with growth. There is
the temptation to motivate (and finance) only the kind of research that reassures us
about our achievements. This is a criticism of rather un-scientific comments that
accuse the present thesis to be interested in 'marginalia'. The second point that has
to be made relates to the scale of what we are examining. The marginal value of
my research derives from the small scale of what I am describing. Polite critics say
that mine is a 'niche' research, unable to address wide issues because it does not
focus on them. The macro level seems to win. It is my conviction that the focus on
micro problems can be a good way to address a series of issues that otherwise can
be interpreted only through general - but at the same time vague - investigations.