Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era

by Kimberly S. Alexander

In Treasures Afoot, Kimberly S. Alexander introduces readers to the history of the Georgian shoe. Presenting a series of stories that reveal how shoes were made, sold, and worn during the long eighteenth century, Alexander traces the fortunes and misfortunes of wearers as their footwear was altered to accommodate poor health, flagging finances, and changing styles. She explores the lives and letters of clever apprentices, skilled cordwainers, wealthy merchants, and elegant brides, taking readers on a journey from bustling London streets into ship cargo holds, New England shops, and, ultimately, to the homes of eager consumers.

We trek to the rugged Maine frontier in the 1740s, where an aspiring lady promenades in her London-made silk brocade pumps; sail to London in 1765 to listen in as Benjamin Franklin and John Hose caution Parliament on the catastrophic effects of British taxes on the shoe trade; move to Philadelphia in 1775 as John Hancock presides over the Second Continental Congress while still finding time to order shoes and stockings for his fiancée’s trousseau; and travel to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1789 to peer in on Sally Brewster Gerrish as she accompanies President George Washington to a dance wearing her brocaded silk shoes.

Interweaving biography and material culture with full-color photographs, Treasures Afoot raises a number of fresh questions about everyday life in early America: What did eighteenth-century British Americans value? How did they present themselves? And how did these fashionable shoes reveal their hopes and dreams? Examining shoes that have been preserved in local, regional, and national collections, this book demonstrates how footwear captures an important moment in American history while revealing a burgeoning American identity.

Genres: History, Fashion, Nonfiction, 18th Century

248 pages, Hardcover

Published September 14, 2018

Reviews

[Goldkehlchen20 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took this book on a long trainride because it had the perfect size to fit into my handbag. I was completely enwrapped, I don't think I ever had ten hours on a train go by so quickly!
It was the perfect way to learn more about historical shoes. I make dresses from that period occasionally, but the shoes of that time aren't always as appreciated in research literature as they should be, so they are brushed past at best to get to the dresses. This is the perfect book to remedy that problem!

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very rich detail but the overuse of the term "middling sorts" became very tedious.

[Reba Weatherford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative.

[Nanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooked me from the first page. Excellent non-fiction using historical artifacts, in this case 18th century English and New England ladies shoes, to draw the reader into history and shed light on it.