Who invented boots

They were usually made from a flat piece of wood with two wedges on the bottom. Sometimes, like the pair in the photograph above, they were flat and hinged, presumably to make walking in them easier. They were usually made from alder, willow or poplar.

The oldest known signage of boots is in a cave painting from Spain, which is believed to date between 12, and 15, B. Boot design from BCE made from animal skins and hides by skillful tanners. The high top and rigid finish was supremely practical and successful at protecting legs while on horseback.

This style was seen as early as and continued to be worn into the s. Other popular styles were essentially military in origin. One notable example was the Hessian or Souvaroff, which was brought to England by German soldiers circa This style featured a trademark center front dip and was trimmed with tassels and braid. For the more gentlemanly pursuit of sport riding, the high cavalier boot of the seventeenth century developed into a softer and closer fitting "jockey" style boot with the top folded down under the knee for mobility which showed the brown leather or cotton lining.

This style originated in and became increasingly fashionable into the s. The popularity of the English style riding boot was a part of the greater Anglomania of the eighteenth century and foreshadows the "Great Masculine Renunciation" that would follow in the wake of the French Revolution and the early years of the nineteenth century. The vogue for democratic, English style dress had made the boot more popular than ever.

Beau Brummel epitomized the radical simplicity of the dandy. His typical morning dress was reported as "Hessians and pantaloons or top boots and buckskins" Swann, p. Despite this endorsement, the shape and design of the boot inevitably shifted with fashion. The Wellington supplanted the Hessian since the tassels and braid of the Hessian were difficult to wear with the newly fashionable trousers. The Wellington boot was essentially a Hessian that had had its curved top cut straight across with a simple binding.

This style was reputedly developed by the Duke of Wellington in and dominated menswear in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The success of the Wellington was so pronounced that it was said in , "the Hessian is a boot only worn with tight pantaloons. The top boot is almost entirely a sporting fashion…although they are worn by gentlemen in hunting, they are in general use among the lower orders, such as jockeys, grooms, and butlers.

The Blucher was another important style of the early nineteenth century named for a popular war hero. The Blucher was a practical, front-laced ankle boot worn by laborers in the eighteenth century, which had popularly been known as the "high-low. This basic laced-front style would prove to be popular in modified forms to this day, and has served as the basis of the modern high-top sneaker, hiking boot, and combat boot.

The popularity of boots began to influence women's fashions during the early years of the nineteenth century. Women had been wearing masculine-style boots for riding and driving during the eighteenth century, and by the s their styles had become distinctly feminine with tight lacing, high heels, and pointed toes. By fashion periodicals begin to suggest boots for walking and daywear; boots were widespread by The most common style was the Adelaide, a flat, heelless ankle boot with side lacing.

This style would remain in use for more than fifty years. During the Victorian period boots of all kinds reached the peak of their popularity. The trend was for greater comfort and practicality in footwear for both men and women and was aided by technological advances like the sewing machine and vulcanized rubber.

In the British inventor J. Sparkes Hall presented Queen Victoria with the first pair of boots with an elasticized side boot gusset.

This easy to wear slip on style would be popular throughout the rest of the century with both men and women. By mid-century the two most popular styles were the elastic side-also known as the congress, side-spring, Chelsea, or garibaldi-and the front-lacing boot.

The two most popular styles for front lace were the Derby and the Balmoral. The latter boot was designed for Prince Albert and was similar in style to the modern wrestling or boxing shoe. After the war, people began spending more time in the mountains for pleasure. Italian shoemakers took note, and they began altering their utility designs to develop a boot more appropriate for recreational hiking.

This gave rise to technical function, as seen in La Sportiva hiking boots, and comfort technology, such as the rubber soles Vibram pioneered. Both are Italian companies! Head to your local sporting goods store or browse online, and the available hiking boot options can be overwhelming.

A classic leather boot reminiscent of s Swiss Alpine guides? Lightweight day hikers in vibrant colors? Everything started because of a real and practical need to protect the feet from outside effects. This seemingly simple human need turned into a quickly growing industry in which design was just as important as functionality. Although the main qualities of footwear have remained unchanged, looking back at the long and interesting history of shoes, you can see that the colors, materials and designs did change.

Before, shoes used to be made by craftsmen. But today, they are part of a factory industry earning huge amounts of money each year. The discovery and capture of new lands, new technologies and different understandings of the world changed the style and fashion of footwear. Primitive footwear, popular during Prehistory, was changed by sandals which grew in popularity during Antiquity because of the formation of social classes.

During the Middle Ages, which are characterized by humility and feudalism, the first footwear structures were formed and the heel was discovered and widely used.

During the Early Modern Times were the eras of Renaissance and Baroque during which hints of modern footwear can be spotted. The models of shoes varied depending on social classes. Also, during the Middle Ages when feudalism was present, society was divided into classes deciding not only different jobs and responsibilities but also different clothes and footwear.

Peasants and non-noble townspeople wore heavy and dark leather boots with a heel. Meanwhile, the noble wore more fancy footwear which often had a wooden heel. Prints, ornaments and other decorative elements were worn only by the noble. They would order these shoes from a shoemaker. Every shoe was different and decorated according to the mood and wishes of the customer, so every single pair of shoes was unique and different.

The Modern Times changed the understanding of fashion and drastically altered the decades-long shoemaking traditions. This happened because of new opportunities in technology which made the whole shoemaking process much more easy and simple.

This Alpine traveler was wearing shoes made from deerskin with a sole made from bearskin and stuffed with hay. The stitches were small and they were not very reliable given the tools people had at that time.

Oetzi from the Stone Age footwear. This is because there were very different shoes for different climates and different materials used for shoes were available in different regions. In Northern regions, the footwear was made from thick leather and warmed up with fur and hay. Meanwhile, in the Southern regions, there were mostly sandals made from palm leaves or papyrus fiber. Despite the climate, people needed footwear to protect their feet from natural outside effects. Many changes and perfected footwear models emerged during the Migration Period 4th- 6th centuries and during the Crusades 11th- 13th centuries when Europeans marched to the East.

During that time, Europe was flooded with Egyptian sandals and pointed shoes. The most unique and popular trends flourished in Italy and Spain, the countries where the strongest seaports of Europe were located, the craftsmen's shops and merchants were developing at rapid speed, and the first financial centers were established.

So these countries were a true cradle of footwear and attire fashion. Modern footwear designers often look back at history for new ideas, inspiration and creativity.

The first sandals emerged in ancient Egypt. They were made from palm leaves, papyrus fiber and raw leather. These sandals were stretched and tied at the end of the foot.