Cast iron shoe

Manufacturer Sears Roebuck (American, founded 1886)

OriginUSA

MediumIron

Dimensions15 × 10 in. (38.1 × 25.4 cm)

ClassificationsTools, Implements and Scientific Equipment

Credit LineGift of Helen Malleston. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number73.7.3

Status

On view

Collections

Label TextAlthough something many take for granted today, shoes were an essential part of daily life for Americans during the Victorian era. Footwear not only provided protection and comfort but also reflected social status, regional characteristics and fashion trends. Wealthier Americans favored finely crafted boots and delicate slippers, while laborers relied on sturdy footwear built for long use. For children, owning shoes marked respectability at a time when going barefoot suggested poverty. Industrialization shifted shoe production from individual cobblers to factories, but traditional tools like this cast iron shoe sold by Sears Roebuck remained vital for producing and repairing footwear. In both function and symbolism, shoes reveal much about the cultural values and economic changes of Victorian America. Sears, Roebuck and Company began in 1886 when Richard W. Sears started a mail-order watch business in Minneapolis and, after partnering with Alvah C. Roebuck and relocating to Chicago, officially became Sears, Roebuck & Co. in 1893. Quickly expanding its catalog to sell a wide variety of merchandise – from clothing, kitchenware, appliance to house kits – to rural Americans at low prices and growing into the leading mail-order retailer in the United States; the company opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Chicago in 1925. Sears became one of the nation’s largest retailers through much of the 20th century, and, after decades of competition from discount and online retailers, filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2018 and now operates only a handful of stores. https://theartgorgeous.com/the-historical-significance-of-shoes-from-status-symbol-to-fashion/ https://www.victorianpassage.com/2008/12/victorian_shoes_in_the_making/ https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-sears

MarkingsSears and Robuck Co.

Locations