There are a variety of different references to corked shoes, that is, shoes in which a layer or multiple layers of cork have been inserted, to either keep an insulated layer from the cold, or perhaps to create an “arched” shoe, like that shown here. In this case, these shoes are based off of a pair that was found in Nova Zembla, a Russian archipelago in the Arctic circle. In 1596, a Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz led an expedition looking for the Northeast passage to the Indies and were stranded. Many excellently preserved items were found, including mules and shoes, including the finds upon which this pair is based.
This find was originally published in a Dutch journal which documented the catalog of the findings, “Behouden uit het Behouden Huys – Catalogus van da voorwerpen van de Barentsexpeditie (1596), gevonden op Nova Zembla. Di Rijksmuseumcollectie, aangevuld met Russische en Noorse vondsten.” In other words, the finds are primarily at the Rijjksmuseum. 🙂 Continue reading Lesson 13: Late 16th C. Corked/Timber Shoes→
I’ve made a couple of pairs of these cowmouths, similar to what I’ve written about here, but these are a bit different in that they have a “high-top” quarters. This type of shoe was quite common and strongly represented in the finds, but they are not as popular for re-enactors. I have come to like them a bit, if for no other reason than they are more unique.
Let me start this off by saying that I’ve wanted to make a pair of these chopines for a long time. However, the construction (and the outsole in particular) has daunted me so, not to mention that I’ve never had a request, so they remained on the list to tackle at some point. Leave it to Amanda L.P. to give me one heck of a challenge. The shoes are just a simple pair of turn-shoes, although sewing such lightweight leather proved more of a challenge than expected. The chopines are bulk cork, surrounded with velvet and with silk ribbons for laces.
This pair took longer than expected, through trials and tribulations, through sewing and re-sewing (none of which you will see here, of course!), and with some helpful hand-holding by Dr. Volken. In the end, I can say that I’m reasonably pleased with these, though if you squint your eyes, they do look a bit like a pair of shoes that a bad movie rendition of Frankenstein’s monster might have worn, all dolled up with velvet and silk, of course…perhaps his bride. 😉
This particular pair, for the incomparable Susan W., is representative of a style of shoe that was found in multiple different locations. At first, when I was requested to make this style of shoe, I thought it a bit lackluster and uninteresting. As I started to near completion, I started to more fully appreciate this simple but elegant style of shoe. The strap over the tongue and buckle on the lateral side really does give a nice element of visual interest to the shoes. Plus, they look cozy and have that “Mary-Jane-esque” element to them yet maintain their individuality as a shoe.
There are several findings of this shoe style, in Hosdent, Middleburg, Dokum, and Dordrecht, to name a few places. They all have a similar construction in that the vamp extends to form a tongue, and a strap is set in at the medial (inside) of the shoe and goes out to the lateral (outside) of the shoe where it buckles in. Continue reading Mid-Late 16th C. Shoes from Hosdent→
Dedicated to the Research and Construction of Chopines, Pantoufles, Zoccoli, Shoes, Boots,and Other Raised and High Heels.
