Figure 1.--Children in the 19th century tended to come to school barefoot or to wear heavy leather shoes. This changed in the 20th century. Especially after World War I we see lighter footwear, sandals and strap shoes. This was especially notavle in England, but we see it throughout Europe. For some reasons, sandals and strap shoes were not popular with American boys, alyhough they proved popular with the girls. Sandals became so popular for schoolwear in England that they became known as school sandals.

Footwear trends varies widely from country to country. There were major differences between Asia, North America, and Europe. Footwear was one of the garments that varied most widely, perhaps because it was a potentially expensive item. The trends in Europe varied from country to country, but there were many similarities. Footwear trends were notably significantly different from North America until the late-20th century. We have begun to develop country pages for several countries, including America, England, France, Germany, Italy, and other countries. We note heavy footwear in many countries during the 19th century. Many younger children attended barefoot, here both climate and social class were involved, but also country trends wer important. Barefeet were socially acceptable in the British southern Dominions (Australia, New Zealanf, and South Africa). And if was fairly common in America, at least until World War I. In other countries barefeet wereccommon, but were mostly a social class matter.We note lighter footear such as sandals becoming popular in the early-20th century in many Europen countries, especually Englnd. American boys wore leather shoes until well after World War II, lhough sandals and strap shoes were popular for the girls. Interestingly sneakers first became stndardfoot ear in Japan, but also became popular in America by the 1960s.

America

American School footwear has varied substantially over time. Many Ameican boys went to school barefoot at least during the warmer months. This was especially the case in the South and rural areas through the 1930s. And we still see a few boys coming to school barefoot in the early-1950s. We do not know much about 18th century footwear, but we notice low-cut buckle shoes. We see boys and men still wearing low-cut shoes in the early-19th century. For some reason we do not fully understand, high-top shoes became common aftr mid century. We notice buckle and lace up shoes. we also see strap shoes, but we do not see boys wearing them except for a few younger boys. Strap shoes were almost always worn by girls in America, Low-cut oxfords began to replace high-top shoes after World War I. And the leather low-cut oxford was standard for boys and girls. Saddle shoes were worn by boys and girls, but were more popular with girls. Girls also commonly wore different styles and colors of strap shoes. We note an interesting article about the Portland public schools which taught boys shoe repair. Most boys wore leather shoes to school. Younger boys in rural areas might come to school barefoot. Sneakers began to be worn after World War II, especially by primary-age boys. but not at first to school. Keds were very popular. Gradually sneakers became more and more common, at first with primary school boys and gradually with secondry students. Trendy sneakers began to become popular in the 1960s. Today children rarely wear leather shoes to school. Boys did not commonly wear sandals to school, but we begin to see open-toe sandals in the 1990s, at first in California. We believe the pattern was highly seasonal. Schools had a variety of rules. Some schools had safety concerns. some permitted sandls while others did not. Boys and mothers had various opinions about sandals. They are now more common in warm weather. Shoe companies have introduced sport sandals.

Australia

Australian boys have worn a wide range of foowear. In part because of the climate, many children went to school barefoot. Family income was also a factor. We note many Australian boys going barefoot to school in the 19th century. This was especially common in rural primary schools. Going barefoot was still common in the first half of the 20th century. Boot-like high-top shoes were common at the turn of the 20th century. Gradualy low-cut oxfords became standard. We note some primary boys wearing English-style school sandals, the ones with the "t"-strap. They were, however, never nearly as popular as in England. More common were open-toe sandals which were commonly called Roman sandals and worn during the summer term. Almost always. at least vwith the boys, they were worn as part of a school uniform. They were also worn by girls. Many schools required children to wear leather shoes, often black leather shoes. Australian children by the 1970s began wearing sneakers to school. Sneakers were an American fashion influence, but did not become popular in Australia until the early 70s. For the most part they are still only allowed at public schools whichbdid not have uniforms. They became common at schools that did not have uniforms.

England

We note a range of different footwear types worn at English schools. Boys in the late 19th and early 20th century commonly wore high-top, heavy boot like shoes. Primary-boys after World War I often wore closed-toe brown "t" strap sandals. These sandals became so common at primary school that they became referred to as school scandals. Various types of sandals were worn, but by far the most common were the close-toe "T" strap style with a single side strap. Some younger boys or girls wore redish-brown or blue sandals or double strap sandals. Clark's school sandals were a standard. Some private schools required them. Sandals are still widely worn, but the center strap is now commonly quite thick. Sandals were not commonly worn at secindary schools, but through the 1960s we see the younger boys at some schools wearing them. This was rarely seen after the 1970s. Regular black oxfords were used for dress wear or by older boys. Another school standard was the plimsol, especially common in gym class. Boys did not begin wearing sneakers (trainers) to school until the 1980s, but many schools did not allow them. Boots became very fashionable in the 1970s and an issue at many schools which banned them.

France

French boys through the 1940s commoin wore heavy boot-like shoes. By the 1930s they were mostly seen in rural areas. Primary school boys commonly wore sandals through the 1950s. We have noted various styles of sneakers as early as the 1950s.

Germany

German boys wore a range of different footwear to school. The popularity of the different types varied over time. We note not only differences in styles, but diiferences in attitude toward proper children's footwear. We note both fashionable strap shoes which offered little supportand opened the foot to fresh air. In sharp contrast we note heavy supportive high-top shoes that look rather like boots. The photographic record from the 20th century provides a detailed view of the different styles. We see German boys in the early 20th century going to school in heavy boot-like shoes. These shoes were very popular for younger boys. Older boys were more likely to wear oxford low-cut shoes. We also see boys wearing strap shoes and sandals. The high-top shoes were still worn after World War II in the 1940s, but were rarely worn by the 1950s. In the 1970s sneakers also began to be worn.

Italy

There was never a national Italian dress code for state schools. Many school adopted smocks, but color and other elements were stated by local school authorities. Rules about footwear were nonexistent or flexible. Boys wore both shoes and sandals. About footwear there were many differences. An Italian reader tells us, "My father told me that in his primary school in Milan during the 1930s pupils couldn't attend barefoot. This was not the case throughout Italy. Many children did come to school barefoot. Many schools in Sardinia and Calabria (southern Italy) commonly came to school barefoot until the 1950s and in some cases into the 1960s. Sandals were also very common.

Japan

Japanese School rules about footwear vary. At non-uniform schools the children can choose their footwear, but mostly wear sneakers. Most primary schools with uniforms do not require a specfic shoe, but oftem do have rules about the color of the shoes or the general type such as sneakers or leather shoes. Quite a few primary schools have the children, both boys and girls, wear identical white sneakers. I know of no schools which permit sandals. Private schools may have more specific requirements. Most secondary schools require black leather shoes, although the styles are often not specfied. Some schools permit black sneakers. Often secondary schools require the girls wear strap hoes. Another garment worn at all schools are slippers. I am not sure if slippers is the best term. Perhaps we should say soft shoes. I'm not sure about the Japanese term here. When the children arrive at school, they take off their shoes and put on slippers. This is a common practice in the home as well and of course helps to keep the school clean. As far as we know the slippers are not uniform styles. There may be schools that have the children buy uniform slippers, but we do not yet know of any. We see children wearing a wide range of colors and styles. They are worn at both uniform and non-uniform schools.

New Zealand

Clothing styles in New Zealand were very similar to those in Britain, This only began to change after World War II when American syles began to have some influence. This was especially true for casual clothes. School styles continued to be essentially British styles. The one major difference is footwear. From an early point in the settlemena of New Zealand, children commonly went barefoot. We are not entirely sure why that was. The climate had to be a fsctor. And consumer goods before local industries developed much have been very expensive. Even after cattle wwre introduced, we suspect the quality of footwear was poorer than in England and the price was higher. This alomg with the climate may explain why going barefoot was much more common in New Zealand than Britain. We assume that footwear manufacturing by the early 20th century became comparable to Britain, although New Zealand is of course a much smaller market which would mean that companies did not enjoy economies of scale. Hopefully New Zealand readers can tell us more about this. We note boys wearing inexpensuive leather shoes with rubber soles in the late-20th century. They were almost always black shoes. British school sandals were never very popular in New Zealand, although many schools had Roman sandals as part of the summer uniform. Boys do not appear to have worn sandals much outside of school. Sneakers becane popular in the 1970s as was common in most countries.

South Africa

We have little information at this time on the shoes and sandals South African children wore to school. The shoe styles seem very similar to English footwear styles. We do not see many children wearing sandals. One significant difference from England is that many children go to school barefoot. One notiable trend is the tendency of many primary school children to go barefoot. This appears to have been an option even at schools which had required uniforms. We are not sure why children go barefoot. As it occurs even at private schools, we assume that many children prefer to go barefoot. Many schools encourage the younger children to come to school barefoot.

Created: 9:14 PM 4/6/2014
Last updated: 12:09 PM 7/10/2015