Closed-toe Sandals: Chronology


Figure 1.--One of the difficulties in building a chronology of closed-toe sandals is that many available images are undated. This portrait is undated, but we believe was taken in the 1910s. This boy appears to be wearing double strap closed toe sandals. One of several styles. These sandals were white.

HBC does not yet have a developed chronology of sandals or specifically of closed-toe sandals. We will begin to build one here. We have noted strap shoes in the 19th century, but these were more of a dress shoe than a sandal. A good example is an unidentified American boy in the 1870s. Closed toe sandals appear to have appeared in England, America, and other countries at the turn of the 20th century. We note portraits of boys wearing clsed-toe sandals in the late 1890s, but are not yet precisely sure when they first appeared. They become more common in the 1900s. We note catalog advertisements in the early 20th century, but are not sure when the first ads appeared. Building a chronology is complicated by the different styles of closed-toe sandals. Single strap shoes or sandals were worn in the 19th century, but these styles with an added side or center strap are a 20th century style. HBC is unsure at this time why the sandal suddenly proved popular in the early 20th century. Perhaps it was part of the overall shift toward increased informality in dress. Chronology is importan not only in the development of closed-toe sandals, but also in terms of popularity as well as age and gender conventions.

Complications

Building a chronology als is complicated by the the various terms used. We are not yet sure, for example, what the difference is between a strap shoe and a closed-toe sandal. Generally speaking a shoe is a more formal type of footwear and a sandal is a more casual style. These conventions as well as the terms used have varried over time. Thus categorizing footwear as a sandal or strap shoe is a modern convdntion which was not closely followed in the edarly-20th century. We need to do this to be able to study the various footwear types. Standard terms cosistently used is necessary. The different types and usage intended can affect the materials and ther colors used. There are also different styles of closed-toe sandals. Single strap shoes or sandals were worn in the 19th century, but these styles with an added side or center strap are a 20th century style. Differences among countries also complicate the subject.

Chronological Periods

HBC does not yet have a developed chronology of sandals or specifically of closed-toe sandals. We will begin to build one here. We note single-bar shoes in the early 19th centiry as well as in earlier historical periods. We are not sure what these shoes were called in the early 19th century. These shoes were all single-bar shoes in the early 20th century. After mid-century we begin to see shoes with multiple straps. Here there was a vide variety. We do not note any of these shoes with center straps. There are some complications here. We are not entirely sure what this footwear was called in the early and mid-19th century. We note sandal being used in the late 19th century. This appears to have been a purely stylistic term referring to to the open structure and straps with none of the modern connotations of a casual, play shoe. Modern sandal styles appeared after the turn of the 20th century, but the term sandal continued to be used for dress strap shoes well into the 20th century. We note the double-strap shoe appeared in the early 1900s. We are not sure when the single-bar, "T"-strap school sandal first appeared.







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Created: 1:14 AM 2/17/2005
Last updated: 8:25 PM 11/13/2010