Figure 1.--Many French commercial postcards show boys wearing strap shoes. Here we see acommercial postcard depicting pre-school children. They seem much less common but not absent in the actual photographic record. The postcards seem to show how mothers would like to dress their children more than they actually succeeded in doing so.

Strap shoes seem especially common in France. We have only limited chronological information at this time. In particular we have little information on 19th century France. Our French 19th century archive is especially weak. We know much more about America. this is interesting because France was very important in the development of photography. But it was the booming American economy that put purchasing power in the hands of America consumers, resulting in the huge numbers of Americans had studio portraits taken. Less so in France. We have more information on the 20th century. And we see French children wearing strap shoes. There were two types of strap shoes, the instep and ankle style. The instep style was done in various styles, var yin primarily with the number and placement of the straps. You can see two different styles here (figure 1). The most common was the single strap style, what Americans call Mary Janes. (Mary Jane was Buster Brown's girl friend.) We see both boys and girls wearing them. Younger children of both genders wore strap shoes. A factor here is that younger boys until school age did not learn to tie shoe laces. And girls of all ages wore them. A lot of commercial post cards show boys wearing strap shoes. Boys and girls wore the same styles. These appear, however, to be idealized images made for sale rather than accurate depictions of contemporary children. This is not to say that French boys did not wear strap shoes. We note do note boys wearing them. They seem, however, much less common among actual boys, even when dressing up. The post cards seem to show how mothers would like to dress their children more than they actually succeeded in doing so. We note two types of strap shoes. Some were the kind often depicted in the commercial post cards. These were dress shoes, often made in expensive grade of leather. We believe social class factors were involved here, but our archive is not large enough yet to confirm this. These dress strap shoes were normally worn by younger boys. There were also a kind of play or casual strap shoe. They were worn much as sneakers are worn today. These casual strap shoes might be worn by school age boys, much more so than in America. We commonly see black strap shoes. Colored shoes were less common, but we mostly see them after World War II. We also see the strap shoes worn with white socks as see here (figure 1).

Chronology

Strap shoes seem especially common in France. We have only limited chronological information at this time. In particular we have little information on 19th century France. Our French 19th century archive is especially weak. We know much more about America. This of course is interesting because France was very important in the development of photography. You might have thought that it would be in France that most 19th century photographs were taken. But they were not. It was in America that the largest number of early images are found. What has proven important is not where the technology was developed, but where the population had the purchasing power to afford a studio portrait. And remember that in 1840 when the photographic industry was launched, the American population was still quite limited. It was the booming American economy that put purchasing power in the hands of the average consumer, leading to the huge numbers of Americans had studio portraits taken. Less so in France. What little we know is that while heavy high-top shoes were nearly universal for both boys and girls in the late-19th and early-20th century, this was somewhat less true in France. Strap shoes were an important part of the low-cut footwear worn by some French children. We have more information on the 20th century. And we see French children wearing strap shoes in the 20tyh century, especially the first half of the century.

Types

There were two types of strap shoes, the instep and ankle style. The instep style was done in various styles, varying primarily with the number and placement of the straps. You can see two different styles here (figure 1). The most common type in France seems to have been the single strap style, what Americans call Mary Janes. (Mary Jane was Buster Brown's girl friend.) But this may because our information comes primarily from the 20th century. The ankle type strap shoe was most common in the late-19th and early 20th century. And we know very little about this period. We note that this type was very popular in America at the time, but we do not yet know about France. Our French archive comes primarily from the period before World War I (1914-18). Most of our French images comes from the period after the War when the instep type strap shoe becomes popular.

Gender

We see both boys and girls wearing them. Younger children of both genders wore strap shoes. A factor here is that younger boys until school age did not learn to tie shoe laces. And girls of all ages wore them.

Idealized Images

A lot of commercial French postcards show boys wearing strap shoes. Boys and girls wore the same styles. These appear, however, to be idealized images made for sale rather than accurate depictions of contemporary children. This is not to say that French boys did not wear strap shoes. We note do note boys wearing them. They seem, however, much less common among actual boys, even when dressing up. The post cards seem to show how mothers would like to dress their children more than they actually succeeded in doing so. We note two types of strap shoes. Some were the kind often depicted in the commercial post cards. These were dress shoes, often made in expensive grade of leather.

Social Class

We believe social class factors were involved here, but our archive is not large enough yet to confirm this.

Usage

We note strap shoes bein made as a dress shoe and a casual or play shoe. We first see hem being worn as a kind of dress shioe with skleton suit (early 19th century), although in the ahe bevfore phitograophy we have few actual details of the shoes. Than with the inventiion of photograohy (1839) meant thast we begin tio see real details. Although it was not until the advent of the CDV (1860s) that footwear was not commonly cropped out of the studio images. It is at this time that the high-top shoes appeared, although the idea of a casual or play shoe did not yet exist. High-top shoes became common, although not nearly universal as in America. American boys wearing Fauntleroy suits with high-top shoes. French boys more commonly wiore strap shors. We see strap shoes becoming widely worn in France in the second half of the 19th century and even more common in the eaely-20 century. It is in the 20century that we see the casual/plsy versions emerge. They were much more common in France. They were also more common than in England, although the English developed a a related style--the school sandal.

Color

We commonly see black strap shoes. Colored shoes were less common, but we mostly see them after World War II.

Hosiery

We also see the strap shoes worn with white socks as see here (figure 1).

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Created: 6:20 PM 10/12/2006
Last updated: 9:02 PM 3/7/2023