Figure 1.-- Saddle shoes were a popular shoe style for boys and girls in America during the mid-20th century.

We note a wide range of different types and styles as shoes became increasingly stylish. Buckle shoes were an early style. High top shoes dominated in the late 19th century and were widely worn until after World War I. We note both button shoes and lace up shoes. Younger boys in the 19th century sometimes wore low-cut shoes. Low cut styles began to become more popular in the 1920s, although younger boys continued wearing high-top shoes which were seen as offering more support. There were many different styles, including loafers, oxfords, and saddle shoes. Styles were similar to those in Europe. One major exception was sneakers at first made with canvas whch appeared in the 1910s and became an important style in America during the 1920s. The sturdy basic brown oxford became a standard for school children, both boys and girls. Most footwear types were inherited from Europe, sneakers and saddles shoes seem an exception. Important preppy styles were both loafers and Sperry topsiders. High top sneakers dominated through the 1950s. Sneakers did not become a fashion statement until the 1960s when low cut styles became more popular. They developed into one of the most popular items for teens. The budget-priced sneaker became expebsive items coveted by teens.

Buckle Shoes

Buckle shoes were an early style. High top shoes dominated in the late 19th century and were widely worn until after World War I. We note both button shoes and lace up shoes.

Dancing Pumps

A pump is a shoe with a low-cut front. They are mostly associated with women;'s shoes. They are usually done without a fastening. Some may have an ankle strap, but this was mostly women's pumps. They are worn by men in traditional formal situations, such as a formal dance. Other terms are opera slipper or patent pump. Dance pumps were not a child's shoes, but worn by men as well at formal dances. In England they were also called a court shoe. Dancing used to be a much more formal and sedate dances of modern times. Even if e don't consider the suggestive moves popularized on television. modern dances aare a far cry from the ball room dances that presominated before World War II and even the immeiate post-War era. Thus boys in middle-class and upper-class families were sent often sent to dancing lessons with dance pumps. These were patent lather shoes, rather like stap shoes, but without the cross bar.

High-top Shoes

We note large numbers of American boys wearing high-top shoes. We are not sure when the style first became popular. Our information on the early-19th century is very limited. High-tops seem the mpst common shoe type in the second half of the 19th century. They were also commonly worn in the early-20th century, especially the 1900s and 10s. For much of this period, high-tops were more common than low-cut shoes. The began to decline in popularity during the 1920s, although they were still worn. An exanple is Janes Ruffato in 1922. We notice two types of high-top shoes, button shoes and lace-up shoes. They were worn by both boys and girls. There were two different types of high-top shoes, button shoes and lace-up shoes. Both came in many different styles and some different colors. . We have not yet done much work on high-top shoes, but it is an important topic as they were very commonly worn by American boys in the late-19th century and early-20th century. We have not yet worked up the chronology, but we see button shoes in the 1870s through the 1900s, but were much less common in the 1910s. We see lace up high tops through the 20s, but they declined in popularity during the 30s. White baby/toddler high tops were still fairly common in the 1950s.

Loafers

Slip on loafers swere popular in the mid-20th century. There were both penny loafers and barrel-roll loafers.

Low-cut Oxfords

Younger boys in the 19th century sometimes wore low-cut shoes. As far as we can tell, low-cuts were the standard style in the early-19th century. We do not have many images until the advent of photography (1839). Unfortunately early formats (dags and ambos) rarely showed the shoes. We still see low-cut shoes when the CDV began to provide large numbers of images (1860s), but by the 1870s high-tops were becoming standard. This was especially true of America for some reason. We see a low of low-cut shoes in Europoe, but not in America. We still see some low-cuts, but they were a distinct minority. A good exmple is an unidentified Massachusetts boy in 1890. High-tops were not universal, but they were close to it. We see countless American boys and girls as well as adults wearing high-tops. The principal exception was strap shoes worn by some younger children. High-tops were still common in the 1920s, but had begun to decline in popularity. The basic low-cut style was the oxford. Low cuts were called oxfords in the 20th century. Low cut styles began to become more popular in the 1920s, although younger boys continued wearing high-top shoes which were seen as offering more support. There were many different styles, including loafers, basic oxfords, two-tone shoes, and saddle shoes. The minstay was brown ixfords. Saddle shoes were popular for several decades. We see two-tone shoes, especially in the 1950s. We note an unidentified First Communion boy wearring two-tone shies, we think in the late-40s.

Moccasins

There were enormous variations in Native American clothing. An individual's tribe could be determined from his clothing. Climate was a factor, but only part of the story. Interestingly, virtusally ther only nearly universal element was the moccasin, at least among the tribes north of central Mexico. From Mexico south sandals are barefeet were prevalent. The moccasin was a slipper-shaped shoe fashioned from tanned leather. The word "moccasin" is an Algonquian word. Spelling varies. It is sometimes spelled "mocasin" with one "c". And there are other spellings. The Algonquians word is used because the Algonquancans were among the first Native Americans encountered by Europeans. Other tribes after their own words, but ii is the Algonquancan word that entered into English and French. The basic desisn of the moccasin was remaekably standard throughout North America, presumably functionality was a factor here. The decoration of the moccasin, however, varied substantially from tribe to tribe. The moccasin has incluenced American shoe styles, both the loafer and the deck shoe seem related to the Native American moccasin. Several generatiuons of American boys made moccasins at summer camp.

Saddle Shoes

Saddle shoes are white shoes with a colored "saddle" across the middle of the shoe. Initially the saddle was black, but shoes with various colored saddles appeared. It appeared in the early 20th century as a sporty shoe style. Saddle shoes were first marketed in 1906. I first recall seeing saddle shoes in the 1920s. I believe they were first worn by boys. I do not recall girls wearing them in the 1920s, but I could be wrong about that. Saddle shoes were considered to be a rather sporty shoe and were worn like loafers in the years before sneakers were fasionable. They were not worn on dressy occasions by boys, but might be worn for informal occasions by older boys with sport jackets. Saddle shoes were interesting in that they were worn by boys of all ages. Often older boys do not want to wear styles worn by younger boys, but saddle shoes appears to have been acceptable to all age groups. The saddle shoe is a basically American shoe style.

Sneakers

Americam shoe styles were similar to those in Europe. Sandals were not as common for boys. The other major exception was sneakers. They were first made with canvas and appeared in the 1910s. They became an important style in America during the 1920s. The sturdy basic brown oxford became a standard for school children, both boys and girls, but sneakers were wornafter school. Most footwear types were inherited from Europe, sneakers and saddles shoes seem an exception. Important preppy casual styles were both loafers and Sperry topsiders. But it was the humble sneaker that emerged a standard child's shoe type. High top sneakers dominated for boys through the 1950s. At the time, they were also called a baskertball shoe. Basketball did not, however, have the same status at mid-century that it has today. Sneakers were at first worn mostly by boys, but by mid-century we also see girls wearing them. Girls wore low cuts, often done in red. Children not only liked them, but they were dirt cheap. Sneakers were primarily for play after school and for summer wear. My mon always sent me ti school in leather shoes in the 1940s and 50s. I am afraid my memory is now a little hazzy, but I think that was the case in my schools in Washington, D.C., Alabama, and Mussissippi. But we do see some sneakers in school portraits, a least in elementary schools. Sneakers did not become a fashion statement until the 1960s when low cut styles became more popular. They developed into one of the most popular items for teens. The budget-priced sneaker became expensive items coveted by teens.

Strap Shoes

Strap shoes were worn by American boys, following much the same pattern as in Europe. They were never as popular, however, in America as in Europe. This was in part because short pants which were generally worn with strap shoes were not as popular in America. The time line for strap shoes in America is similar to that in Europe. While usage patterns varried substantially, especially for boys, the appearance of the strap shoe and stlistic trends were not greatly different. They were worn with skeleton suits in the early 19th century and by the turn of the 20th century with Fauntleroy suits and with other outfits like Buster Brown suits and sailor suits. We notice mosty pre-school American children wearing strap shoes. This vaid somewhat chronologically. We note Strap shoes came in many colors. As far as I know they were always black in the 19th century. I believe that colored shoes appeared in the 1900s, reds, blues, and whites. This is primarily based on the premise that Buster Brown was drawn in colored strap shoes. The photographic evidence is ambiguous as it is black and white. Strap shoes in America were also known as Mary Janes--at least the girls' versions. I'm not sure why, but I think this was a trade mark of the Buster Brown Shoe Company. I think Buster's girl friend was Mary Jane, but of course Buster also wore starap shoes. Strap shoes were worn by children, both boys and girls, in the 19th and early-20th century. They were not seen as a style with a particular use in mind, although they tended to be worn primarily by children from well-to-do families. Thus it gives the impression of a dress shoe. Here a complication was that people tended to dress formally and the concept of play clothes was just beginning to develop. After World War I, strap shoes increasingly began to be seen as a girl's style. They also became to be seen as more of a dress shoe. Strap shoes were available in both dress and play styles. At first both boys and girls wore the same strap shoes, but gradually usage conventions developed and ceventually thec strap shoe became seen as a girls' dress shoe style.

Created: 6:52 PM 9/28/2007
Last updated: 6:29 AM 10/26/2017