After spending 3 nights in Zlin it was time to travel to my next destination – the Egon Schiele Art Centrum (ESAC) in Český Krumlov. This part of the journey involved 3 buses: Zlin to Brno, Brno to Český Budějovice, then on to Krumlov. With all the transfer points it ended up being a 7-hour […]
Providing Warmth and Protection
The Bata Shoe Museum’s collection of footwear worn by the cultures living in the world’s circumpolar region is the largest comprehensive collection in existence. These shoes and boots are made to withstand some of the harshest climates that humans can endure. Whether they are made from seal, caribou, or fish, they can provide the warmth […]
From the Vault: Yup’ik socks
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 is a pair of Yup’ik socks from Alaska. It was acquired from the Richard […]
Walking Through Winter
By Creative Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack This winter has been one full of more than the average amount of ice and snow here in Toronto. However, difficult winters are nothing new. Indeed snow is a perennial challenge across the globe and navigating through it has been dealt with in ingenious ways by different […]
From the Vault: Fish Skin Boots
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 fish skin boots was made by the Nanai seamstress Ann Michailovna Beldi. […]
From the Vault: Chopines
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 of chopine most likely dates to the end of the sixteenth century. They were […]
Cinderella – The Glass Slipper Debate!
One of the last things you see before you leave the Bata Shoe Museum is a comment and suggestion box where we encourage people to share their thoughts on the things they’ve seen during their visit. One comment which we see on a regular basis relates to an area in our All About Shoes exhibition […]
Step into the Footwear of Royalty
By Creative Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack Associations between footwear and royalty are long standing. One of the most famous ancient Egyptian artifacts, The Narmer Palette from around 3100 B.C.E, depicts a barefoot pharaoh slaying an enemy of Egypt while his sandal bearer waits in the background holding his royal footwear. Sandal bearers in […]
From the Vault: Lancashire Clogs
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our new 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 entered the collection in 1980. They were acquired in an antique shop […]
New Acquisitions: how we acquire objects and update our collections
At the Bata Shoe Museum, we are always collecting new artefacts. We have over 14,000 objects in our archives, and this number continues to grow. One of the most common questions we are asked by visitors is where do we get our shoes from? Most museum collecting begins with a colleting mandate, which is essentially […]