Figure 1.-- This page from the Sears 1950 Winter catalog shows some of the shoe styles offered for boys. Note the quite varied range of styles. This is the right side of two facing pages on children's shoes and sandals. |
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Boys and girls still commonly wore leather shoes bin the 1950s. Sneakers were worn for play or for summer casual wear by children. But mormally children commonly wore lather shoes. We note a page from the 1950 Sears Winter catalog with a variety of boys' shoes. There was a range of lace up and buckle shoes, uncluding high-top styles and saddle shoes. There was also double-bar sandals.
The Sears, Roebuck and Co., huge merchandising firm centered in Chicago was founded by Richard W. Sears (1863-1914) and A.C. Roebuck (1864-1948). Sears had begun a career in mail-order business in Minnesota 1886. In Chicago he and Roebuck joined resources and formed a corporation in 1893 as a mail-order business under title Sears, Roebuck and Company. In 1895 Julius Rosenwald (1862-1932) bought Roebuck's interest in firm and became president on
Sears's retirement 1908. A retail-store system was added 1925. The first foreign store added in Havana, Cuba during 1945 and becane te first expropriated store in 1960. The Sears-Roebuck brought the production of industry to the fartherest corner of rural America, opening the cornucopia of the consumer age to rural America. All the new things that were changing American life danced across their pages. Through it, a huge Chicago warehouse offers to modernize the farms and small towns of the Midwest.
We note a pages from the 1950 Sears Winter catalog with a variety of boys' shoes. There was a range of lace up and buckle shoes, uncluding high-top styles and saddle shoes. There was also double-bar sandals. These shoes were done in sizes 8�, 9, 9�, 10. 10�, 11, 11�, 12, 12�, 13, 13�, 1, 1�, 2, 2�, 3. (See below for a discussion of the age equivalents.) I was 7 years old when this catalog was published. I remember very well some of these styles, but others I do not recall.
Most of the styles shown on the left page seemed to be for girls.
This is clearly a girls' strap shoe. The Sears ad cooy read, Little girls will delight at the fashionable one-strap moc-toe. Stylish eye-catcher. Supple learher upper, stitched edges. Adjustable strap, Searsosole, rubber heel". The shoe was only done in brown.
This looks more like a boy's shoe, but we note that many girls until the 1960s wore study leather shoes that looked rather like boy-styled shoes. The Sears ad copy read, "Bitwel Oxford, leather insole. Padded tongue. Durable lether uppe. Sturdy leather sole. Rubber heel." This shoe was done in brown and black.
Most of the shoes on the right page seem to be for boys, although some like the saddle shoe and the double strap sandals could be worn by both boys and girls.
This saddle shoe was done in both red and white and brown and white. They were widely worn by both boys and girls in the 1950s. The ones I wore in the 1950s were black and white. I don't recall boys wearing the red and white ones. The ad copy read, "Serviceable Rompabout Saddle. Flexible, smooth under foot. Firm counter for snug heel fit. Wear-packed Searosole, rubber heel."
The Sears ad copy read, "Two-strap Slip-on designed to fit correctly, give plenty of room. Embossed woven vamp. Sturdy, foot conforming leather upper. Long-wearing Searosole, rubber heel." It was done in brown and red. This appears to be a combination of a double trap sandal and a slip-on loafer. I don't recall ever seeing a shoe like this.
The Sears ad copy read, "Extra roomy Moc-style Oxford. Soft leather uppeer. Shape retaining leather insole. Long wearing Searosole, rubber heel. Sewed construction." The shoe was done in briown, brown with whire and brown with tan. We see these two-tone shoes quite a bit in the late 1940s and early 50s.
Jaunty twin strap sandal. Leather upper. Feather-light crepe rubber sole, heel. Reinforced straps, roller buckles. Roomy moc-style toe. Goodyear sewed construction, makes shoe flexible". This sandal was only available in brown." This half-center strap style of sandal is not one that I have commonly seen. I never notice boys wearing these sandals when I was growing up in the 1950s, but their were class and regional variations in America. Many of these styles were offered by Sears in several caralogs. This style did not appear very often, suggesting to us that it did not sell well.
The Sears ad copy read, "Enbossed Woven Vamp Moc-style. Built for action, long wear. 'Light as foam', thick crepe eubber sole, heel. Hardy leather upper. Smooth leather insole for commfort. Sewed construction." I notice several Sears shoes have these woven vamps. I don't recall seeing these shoes as a boy at the time.
Sears still offered high-top shoes which stressed firm ankle support. I don't remember these high-top shoes when I was growing up in the late 40s and 50s, but Seaes was still offeringbthem.
This was a lace up wing tip. I remember very well the problem of scuffed toes in the 1950s. I could have definitely used scuffresistant toes.
This strap shoe was only available in brown. I had a pair like this in the late 50s, but it was done in black and had a kind of spring closure rather than a buckle.
The Sears page here was not specifically labeled as boys' shoes, but it was grouped with shoes that looked more like boys' styles. The shoes that looked more like girls' shoes were on the facing page.
It is a little difficult to assess the age equivalents of these shoe sizes. These shoes were offered in sizes 8�, 9, 9�, 10. 10�, 11, 11�, 12, 12�, 13, 13�, 1, 1�, 2, 2�, 3. According to one estimate, that would mean essentially primary-age boys from about 6-13 years of age. Sears on this page provides a little lower estimate, 3-10 years. As the Sears estimate pertains specifically to these shoes,this should be considered am accurate age assessment.
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