People frequently ask for advice on how to care for their vintage shoes at home. As a conservator, I’m reluctant to make recommendations sight unseen. Footwear is made of so many different materials and suggesting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution is impossible. Conditions can vary greatly which informs how best to care for them. Leather can exhibit […]
From the Vault: Mules from Malaaca
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 mules was acquired by the museum from Christie’s in London in 1998. […]
Footwear and the Pandemic
We have been living with the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year, and much has been written about its impact on global fashions. For those of us who study this field, these past 15 months have offered an amazing opportunity to examine how consumer habits have changed when it comes to footwear, and to start […]
Preparing for an Outgoing Loan
The BSM has had an ongoing loan project with the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, for more than 15 years. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the collection in a world renowned institution that receives thousands of international visitors every year, COVID-19 lockdowns aside! The next loan includes 9 pairs of moccasins, 1 pair of […]
From the Vault: Kadohadacho Moccasins
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 moccasins was one of four made by Kadohadacho maker Sun-wit Sturm née […]
Nude
At the Bata Shoe Museum, we often use footwear to explore histories of larger cultural concepts such as gender, capitalism, sex, colonialism and race. Often, these complicated stories are not obvious from just looking at the shoes themselves – it is through careful research on the history of the shoes and the contexts in which […]
From the Vault: Turkmen Riding 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? This pair of riding shoes was collected in 1985 the city Andkhoy in North Central […]
Fish Skin Footwear
The BSM has footwear made from a variety of materials from diverse peoples around the world. For many of the people living in coastal and riverine communities, locally caught fish is part of their diet. The skin of these fish, referred to as fish leather or fish skin textile, was sometimes used for clothing, including […]
A Closer Look at Clogs
By Creative Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack We sat down with BSM Creative Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack to ask her a couple of questions about clogs! To begin, we asked Semmelhack why there is a common thread of wooden footwear in so many diverse cultures. She explained that with the abundance of […]
From the Vault: 18th century shoe buckle
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 single buckle maybe French and dates to the 1730s. They were acquired by the […]