A fossil of a (naked) human foot print that is believed to be about one million years old (Kenya, photograph by courtesy of Matthew Bennett, Bournemouth University, England.)
In the beginning there was a foot, and it was naked ............
The foot is an essential, albeit often overlooked, area of the human body - until that blister or bunion comes. Yet millions of euros are spent every year on clothing and decorating the feet. The use of footwear; a term that includes items generally worn on the feet and lower legs, goes back thousands of years and it comes in many different forms. But how often do we actually stop and seriously think about our feet and how we dress them?
The materials and final appearance of traditional footwear are related to climate, geography, cultural influences, religion, social status, whether they are worn indoors or outdoors (or indeed both), the type of occupation (a nurse wears different footwear from a metal worker), sport or recreation (compare for example, the shoes worn while playing golf and the boots worn to play football), as well as age and gender. Sometimes the choice of footwear is based only on its ornamental value.
Footwear can be divided into two main groups, namely (a) hosiery, such as socks and stockings, which are normally worn on part of the leg and foot, and between the feet and the outer footwear, and (b) outer footwear: such as sandals, shoes and boots. This group can be further sub-divided into: (i) open footwear such as sandals; (ii) closed footwear, including shoes and boots; and (iii) over footwear, which is worn on top of the other forms, such as galoshes, and pattens. Some types of footwear can be either open or closed, notably slippers that are primarily worn inside the house.
Detail from an early 20th century mule from Vietnam showing the embroidery details (TRC 2009.0117a-b)Footwear can be made out of a wide range of materials including leather (cow, snake, crocodile, etc), textiles (canvas, felt, satin, etc), rope (espadrille), wood (clogs), metal, plastic (Wellington boots) and rubber, or some combination of these materials. Sometimes they are plain, on other occasions they are elaborately decorated forms with beads, embroidery, braids and ribbons, or the sides are cut into elaborate forms. Some modern forms may also include objects embedded into transparent heels.
A basic sandal/shoe/boot is made out of three main elements. The first is the sole or lower part, which covers the sole of the foot. This can come in one or more layers, such as the insole, the midsole and outsole. The second element is the heel, which covers the region of the heel of the foot. This can be small (kitten), shaped (louis), very fine (stiletto) or just large (wedge), tall (high) or indeed large and high (platform).
The third element is the upper (sometimes called a vamp), which is used to cover the top part of the foot. In open forms of footwear the upper may only consist of a strap, while in closed forms it may b
e quite complex and made up of a series of sections (vamps and quarters) fastened together.
Some shoes are only made out of one piece (bag shoe; rivelin), which is used as a sole and upper combined, other forms of footwear may be made out of numerous pieces carefully formed into a complex structure that encases the foot. Traditionally, the various elements of a sandal/shoe/boot are sewn together, but more modern versions use glue or heat bonding.
19th century Iranian socks (TRC collection)
Hosiery is a garment for the foot and leg, which is normally made out of a flexible, knitted material. It includes leggings, leg warmers (tubes), socks (ankle, knee, thigh), as well as secret socks such as those just covering the toes or the soles of the feet.
Open footwear includes items such as flip-flops, mules and sandals. They are usually defined as leaving uncovered all or most of the upper foot. They may be with or without a heel. Open footwear tends to be worn in the warmer summer months or in hot dry regions where shoes would be too warm.
Closed footwear includes items such as shoes and boots, in which the upper part of the foot is totally or to a great extent covered. A boot is basically an extended shoe that also covers the ankles. Boots may reach to the calves, knees or even the upper thighs (fishing waders). Shoes tend to be worn in regions where the climate and geography require more protection than can be given by a sandal.
Over shoes include footwear such as pattens and galoshes, which are worn on the outside of other footwear to protect them from the rain, mud and dust. The are usually taken off when indoors. The exception are pattens worn in bath houses (hamam) in Muslim countries to protect the feet from splashed water. Traditional skates that are tied to a pair of shoes or boots are another example of over shoes.
The famous American dancer, Fred Astaire, wearing spats (1930’s; private collection) Footwear accessories include a range of items such as spats, sock suspenders, shoe horns, boot horns, pairs of boot hooks, shoe/boot trees, shoe polish and brushes, shoe laces, shoe buckles, as well as decorative items such as anklets, toe rings, henna patterns, nail polish, tattoos and even piercings. Although the latter is not recommended as the skin on the foot is very thin and there is a high rate of infections and complications related to foot piercings.
The term foot thong is sometimes used to describe a type of sole that covers the ball of the feet and is used by dancers, who perform many turns or pirouettes, to protect their feet. Decorative foot thongs are used to cover the upper part of the foot only and are believed to have originated in India and they become a fashionable items among some hippie groups in the 1960’s.They have remained part of the summer fashion scene since then.
Decorating the feet with henna goes back hundreds of years in the Middle East and Asia. Henna was also used by both men and women to harden the feet.
A selection of henna templates for decorating the foot (TRC collection)
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Noorlander, J., Klompen: hun makers en hun dragers, Openluchtmuseum Arnhem, 1978.
O’Keeffe, Linda, Shoes: A Celebration of Pumps, Sandals, Slippers and More, Workman Publishing Company Inc., New York, 1996.
Steel, Valerie, Shoes: A Lexicon of Style, Scriptum Editions, London, 1998.
Swann, June, Shoes, B.T. Batsford Ltd., London, 1982.
Swann, June, Shoemaking, Shire Books, Risborough, 2003
