Fig. 40.Fig. 41.Fig. 42.
Fig. 40.Fig. 41.Fig. 42.
Fig. 40.
Fig. 41.
Fig. 42.
The use of boots marks a conquering race. In Germany, during the Middle Ages, serfs were forbidden to wear them; and this probably explains why, when they rose for justice, after ages of oppression, they chose for their standard a great peasant’s shoe. The samples ofboots given are from the time of LouisXIV. andXV. Fig.40was called the cauldron boot; this had a peculiar appendage around the ankle. Fig.41, the bellows boot, has an enormous top, so that a man could hardly wear a pair without straddling. Fig.42, the postillion’s boot; these were generally made of very heavy material, so if the postillion, by chance, should fall from his horse, the wheels of the carriage might pass over his legs without doing him any injury.
We have now followed the various changes that shoes have undergone from the earliest times to the present, and would bring our remarks to a close with a notice of some of the shoes of to-day furnished by J. & J. Slater, which, if not as fantastic in shape as some that we have treated, cannot be excelled for grace or durability.
Fig.43is a Ladies’ Riding Boot, made of morocco and patent-leather. This style is the only correct one at present, and no riding costume is complete without them.
Fig.44represents Ladies’ Button Boot. The material employed is kid top, with patent-leather foxing. This makes not only a very stylish but comfortable walking boot.
Fig.45shows Ladies’ Toilet Slipper. It is made of Suéde kid lined with silk. This material is now the latest style for dress or toilet slippers.