We are checking in with our friends in shoe-related businesses to find out how they got interested in shoes, where the journey running a niche business has taken them, and what the future holds in a post COVID19 world. Sheila Knox, Head of Education and Programs poses the questions. Jeff Churchill ~ Jitterbug Boy Original […]
Working From Home Part 1
Due to the current situation of COVID-19, the BSM staff has been getting creative on how to bring you the BSM From Home! Our conservator, Ada, has turned her home office into a temporary work space! Find out more about the process in today’s blog post written by her. My plan was to continue conservation […]
In Need of Some Polish: Conservation of a Late 19th C Shoe Polish Box
Sometimes when a museum curator is planning an exhibition, they discover that there are artifacts needed to tell a story that are not yet part of the overall collection. This box was acquired by the BSM for just such a reason. It was purchased, along with its accompanying glass bottle containing remnants of black shoe polish, […]
Footwear and the Imperial Project
One of the most striking artefacts in the Bata Shoe Museum collection is this pair of 18th century women’s shoes. Their silhouette is European in style, but the upper is Indian-made. At first glance, these shoes seem to serve as examples of cultural exchange; a blending of Indian and European styles to create a beautiful […]
Conservation Blog: A Rare Shade of Green
This is a rare pair of shagreen leather riding shoes originating from 16th Century Persia. When they were acquired by the BSM in 2006 a large piece of leather was missing from one of the shoes. As well, both shoes had short tears on the quarters (the sides) and the vamps (the front upper sections). […]
Instagram Live Recap with Ron Wood
Thank you so much to everyone who tuned into our first Instagram Live! In case you missed it, our Creative Director & Senior Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack had a fun chat with photographer, Ron Wood. Wood is a photographer and professor at OCAD University that has been working with the Bata Shoe Museum for years and […]
In Conversation with our Conservator, Ada Hopkins
By: Jessica Pollock, Communications Intern I recently sat down with Ada Hopkins, conservator at the Bata Shoe Museum, to learn more about her role at the museum and conservation at large. 1. What initially led you to be interested in conservation? I was always interested in art history and archaeology. When looking at different academic […]
From Function to Fashion: Platform and Wedge Footwear of the 1930s and 1940s
By Myriam Elyse Couturier, curatorial intern Platform shoes were first worn as beach footwear in the 1930s as the popularity of outdoor recreation and cruise holidays was rising, and were at the height of fashionability during World War II. At the same time, wedges – shoes where the space between the heel and sole in […]
Otzi the Iceman
On September 19th, 1991, Ötzi the Iceman was found in the Austrian-Italian Alps. He is the oldest, best preserved human body known to science at 5300 years old. Ötzi Man lived in approximately 3300 BCE and when his body was discovered he was still wearing one of his shoes, which are the oldest known preserved […]
Throwback to Lunching with John and Ruth Fluevog
By Sarah Beam-Borg – Exhibition Manager and Assistant Curator Popular opinion and Hollywood movies tend to box museum work into two very disparate categories. The field is thought to either be hopelessly boring and dusty, or tremendously glamorous and exciting. Like many professions the reality is of course somewhere in the middle of the two […]