Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? This pair of skates was originally worn by Norwegian Olympic gold-medal skater and celebrity Sonja […]
Assessing Fragility: Dyed Deerskin
People always ask me if there are any artefacts in the BSM collection that make me trepidatious when handling. The answer is: moccasins made with this rich dark brown colour of deerskin, achieved by immersing the cleaned skin in a different types of natural dyes. Each artist has their own method depending on regionally available […]
“Shoe Stories” Chronicle the Past
When looking at some of the intriguing artefacts in the Bata Shoe Museum, people are often curious to have more information then it’s possible for us to provide for each item on display – who did they belong to, what do they tell us about the historical period they came from, what is that shoe’s […]
From the Vault: 18th century English shoes
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? The English shoes date to the 1760s. They were acquired by the Museum in 1995 […]
Boots & Blades: Research and Planning during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Behind the scenes at the Bata Shoe Museum these days, we are working on a virtual exhibition that will be called Boots & Blades: The Story of Canadian Figure Skating. Launching on Family Day in 2022, it will explore both the artistry and athleticism of this thrilling sport, from its early beginnings in the 1600s […]
Shoes in Action: What is Damage?
The beginning of the professional tennis season starts with the Australian Open in January. With that in mind, let’s explore a donation of Nike Challenge Court tennis shoes autographed by John McEnroe in 1984. He gave them to Mrs. Bata after a Players International Championship match she attended at the National Tennis Centre at York […]
From the Vault: Venetian Men’s Slippers
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? This pair of Venetian men’s slippers date to the 1840s. They were acquired in 1988 […]
Conservation Blog – Jazz Age Dress
By Conservator Ada Hopkins Sometimes there isn’t enough time to perform a compete treatment on an object and the resulting work I refer to fondly as ‘guerilla conservation’. It is done quickly, with minimal materials, but conservation intervention is adequate for the purpose; in this case displaying a dress on a mannequin. For The Roaring […]
Upon Arrival: Cataloguing New Acquisitions
These carriage boots are a recent acquisition to the Bata Shoe Museum’s collection. They were worn in the early 20th century by Clara Fairbank-Ranney in Petrolia, Ontario, and were donated by her family. Hope everyone had a lovely holiday season! I’m writing this blog post in December 2020 and want to share a bit of […]
From the Vault: Keds Champion sneakers
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? This pair of Keds sneakers date to 1916, the first year of Keds’ Champion line. […]