Figure 1.-- This is 5-year old Claude Jonson, probably in the 1910s or early-20s. He wears an sports collar blouse with knickers and white long stockings with ankle strapm shoes. This is a portarit by a low budgt photogapher which suggests that the style was not just for children from affluent families.

The second basic type of strap shoe had the strap high on the ankle rather than across the inseam. This was a new type and for a time outsold the more traditional instep strap shoe. We see large numbers in the photographic record. Both boys and girls wore them. They were commonly worn by both boys before World War I. For a short time, this type was a very popular shoe style. We see large numbers in the 1900s and 10s. A good exmple is an unidentifid boy in 1919. Then they rapidly went out of style There were also some examples from the early-20s, but not very many. The traditional instep type came back in style. Unlike the instep strap shoes, there were far fewer variations with the ankle strap shoes. We do not see any multiple strap examples or center posts. They often ha little ribbons. They were done mostly in black, but we see a few in white. They were a dress shoe style. They were not worn for play, but we do see boys wearing them for what look like casual dressy occasions. They were very popular with white long stockings.

Created: 3:19 PM 12/3/2013
Last updated: 11:06 AM 7/17/2016