Pair of boots worn by Queen Victoria
Object No. 94/88/1
In 1837 Queen Victoria was presented with this pair of dainty 'elastic' sided boots, the first to be invented, made by Englishman Joseph Sparkes Hall. Boots were popular with men during the 1800s and they were soon adopted by women. By the mid 1800s they had become the most common form of footwear for both sexes in all social classes. Ankle-length boots without heels, known as high-lows, were fashionable for women. The boot was the most popular form of footwear for both sexes by the mid 1800s. The difficulties of fastening a boot with buttons and laces led London shoemaker Joseph Sparkes Hall to experiment with fastenings and the elastic-sided boot resulted. The gusset for this elastic-sided boot is made of tightly coiled wire covered in cotton. By 1840 coiled wire was replaced by rubber. Improvements in his design led Hall to describe the elastic-sided boot as 'the most perfect thing of its kind'. Sparkes Hall patented the design on 14 May 1840, the first registered design to feature elastic (Levitt 1986). Joseph Sparkes Hall's prototype version of the elastic-sided boot was presented to Queen Victoria in 1837, the year she ascended to the throne. In 'The Book of the Feet' written in 1846, Sparkes Hall claims the Queen was well satisfied with the design, noting that 'Her majesty has been pleased to honour the invention with the most marked and continued patronage: it has been my privilege for some years to make her boots…and no one who is acquainted with her Majesty's habits of walking and exercise, in the open air, can doubt the superior claims of elastic over every other kind of boots'. The influence of Queen Victoria (after which an entire era has been named) in the area of fashion is noteworthy. Styles worn by the Queen, such as the above boots, the white wedding dress and riding habit, were quick to become popular, spreading throughout England and the colonies. The elastic sided boots soon became the most popular form of footwear, worn by both men and women. For evening wear a cream satin version was developed of which there are several examples in the Museum's collection. This unique pair of boots is significant, not only for their extraordinary provenance, but also for their innovative design. The elastic sided boot has retained its popularity in Australia where it is used both by urban and rural wearers. For example elastic sided boots by R. M. Williams and Blundstone are extremely popular. The Powerhouse Museum houses an extensive and internationally significant collection of shoes. This collection provides a unique insight into footwear history, demonstrating how changes in contemporary attitudes, needs and etiquette directly affected shoe design. It also reveals the fine skills of shoemakers as well as the impact of scientific developments and technological innovations on the materials and construction methods. Michelle Brown, 2007 REF: Levitt, Sarah, 'Victorians Unbuttoned: Registered Designs for Clothing, their Makers and Wearers, 1839-1900' George Allen & Unwin, London, 1986, p156 Sparkes Hall, Joseph, 'The Book of the Feet', Simpkin, Marshall & Co., New York, 1846
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Summary
Object Statement
Boots (pair), with calling card, womens, linen / silk / cotton / leather / metal / cardboard, designed and made by Joseph Sparkes Hall, worn by Queen Victoria, London, England, 1837
Physical Description
Pair of 'elastic' sided boots featuring flat leather sole, natural coloured linen upper, centre front seaming, straight black leather square toe cap and gussets either side of ankle composed of metal coils covered in natural covered cotton. Tab at back of ankle. Label inside front of ankle boots '......Sparkes Hall....London'
DIMENSIONS
Height
135 mm
Width
65 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Joseph Sparkes Hall was experimenting with ways of making a boot with expanding side gussets that would allow the wearer to easily pull them on and off. In this first pair he used metal coils covered in ruched cotton. By 1840 he had patented a boot using rubber in the gussets. Note on file says "Englishman Joseph Sparkes Hall is said to have invented the elastic sided boot and it is believed that this pair of boots is his prototype in 1837. Earlier boots had featured lace up fastenings. This first "elastic" sided boots feature gussets of expanding metal coils covered in ruched cotton which gave the necessary elasticity to allow the boots to be pulled on and off. In J Sparkes Hall's "The Book of Feet" written in 1846 he expounded the virtues of elastic sided boots, noting the advantage of being able to pull them on and off quickly and not having to worry about buttons falling off, laces breaking or the eyelet holes wearing out. He notes that his first experiments were a failure and presumably this refers to the use of the coiled metal gusset. By 1840 he was using rubber in the gusset and notes that the subsequent improvements in materials and workmanship have "combined to make the elastic boot the most perfect thing of its kind". By the mid 19th century the majority of footwear worn by women was some form of boot with the elastic sided boot the most popular. For evening wear a cream satin version was developed of which there are several examples in the Museums collection. A person wanting to buy shoes in the 1800s could get them direct from a shoemaker who worked alone or in a shared workshop with traditional tools and techniques. Factories were also producing ready-made shoes by hand, which could be bought from the premises or from warehouses or peddlers. Gradually, mechanisation took over from handwork and by the end of the century most shoes were machine-made in factories and sold through specialist shoe shops. With vulcanised rubber not coming into use until 1840, the 'elastic' sided gussets of these boots were made of tightly coiled wire covered in cotton. In Joseph Sparkes Hall's 'The Book of Feet' written in 1846, Hall notes that his first experiments in producing the elastic sided boots were a failure and presumably this refers to the use of the coiled metal gussets, replaced in 1840 by the use of rubber.
HISTORY
Notes
Englishman Joseph Sparkes Hall is said to have invented the elastic sided boot and it is believed that this pair of boots is his prototype patented in 1837. Hall records in his 1846 book, 'The Book of Feet', that he presented his first pair of elastic sided boots to Queen Victoria in 1837 and notes that "Her Majesty has been pleased to honour the invention with the most marked and continued patronage: it has been my privilege for some years to make her boots...". This accords with the family provenance on the shoes. A calling card located in one of the shoes is printed with the name "Miss H.D.Butcher" and a handwritten note "This shoe - worn by Queen Victoria when young was given to my mother by Miss 'illeg' - a Lady in Waiting to Princess Christian when we were at Windsor (1880-1900)", signed 'H Dorothy Butcher'. Donor Mrs Downes's grandfather was a doctor and often attended patients at Windsor Castle.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 1994
Acquisition Date
7 April 1994
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