I’m afraid I have a weakness for shoes and boots. I don’t like admitting it, because it is such a cliché for a woman to love shoes. But I blame my Great Aunt, who gave me her wedding boots as a gift, and I blame my great grandfather, who was a cobbler and a boot maker. I was driven by both nature and nurture to love shoes.
1870 velvet and gold leather button boots
Victorian-era, jet-beaded, leather lace-up boots dating from 1895
Embroidered silk-lined boots, made with linen and kid, with leather soles, circa 1885
It wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that they started making pairs shoes that were distinctly left and right. This is obvious from Queens Victoria’s wedding slippers below, where the shoes have nearly identical configurations. By the end of the 19th century, shoe making was taken to a high art and all pairs of boots & shoes were made to mirror each other. It was a revolution in both style and comfort.
The satin shoes worn by Queen Victoria on her wedding day, 10 February 1840
Wedding & fancy dress boots, ranging from the middle to late 1800s