Of boots and shoes....

Thank you Keith. It will be a place to start reading. When I get a chance this evening.

Brokennock said:  "How early can the hi-lo boots be considered acceptable?
I know better than to trust a vendor's claim of what dates am item can represent. They claim as early as 1747. Thoughts? Proof?"

Modern names given to  shoes and boots may very well not be what they were called in the day. I've never seen the term hi-lo. I do find "shoe boots", which could be the same idea, as early as 1750. The term "half boots" was used by Silas Deane in describing the Philadelphia militia in 1775.

And: "What are the thoughts and evidence for rough side out or smooth side out leather?"

I've never found any indication of rough or smooth side out in the literature. The only clue is an ad in 1742 for "famous British Liquid Blacking for shoes and boots" which claims it "gives the Shoe a more beautiful Gloss than when new". There are also ads for 'shoe brushes' and 'blacking ball'. That only means some shoes and boots were smooth side out, no indication what percentage. I also see 'coarse' and 'country made' which could mean rough out, but not necessarily.

I have straight last shoes from Townsend which have served me well for 30 years.

Spence

This is what I have so far, the fires are not far away, & the smoke is so thick outside I decided to stay indoors & do some research on these hi-low boots.
I can find no primary documentation on the hi-low boot, information is conflicting. One source mentions that the hi-low boot was the same as the Blucher boot. Blucher was born in 1740, so doubtful he designed this military boot before 1760. I have a feeling that in fact the Blucher boot was a 19th century military boot.


18th century footwear.

The Blucher was a practical, front-laced ankle boot worn by laborers in the eighteenth century, which had popularly been known as the "high-low." After 1817 this style was known as the Blucher and was worn for casual and sport wear.

fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-accessories/boots

Blucher

A shoe construction featuring two side flaps of material that are joined across the foot with lacing.

www.thewalkingcompany.com.au/lexicon/15

These boots to me look closer to what the hi-low is supposed to look like.

Keith.

www.missouribootandshoe.com/civilian-brogans--shoes.html

The blucher is named after the 18th century Prussian field marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. General von Blücher commissioned a boot with side pieces lapped over the front in an effort to provide his troops with improved footwear. This design was adopted by armies across Europe.[1]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blucher_shoe

Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher

Person Male Born 16/12/1742 Died 12/9/1819

Hi low boots or half boots were first worn as fashionable boots in the early 1800s. Made from silk or wool they laced to above the ankle. Women began to wear low, “half” boots as a practical alternative to delicate slippers in the early nineteenth century but silk hi lows were a popular choice with brides

historyofboots.blogspot.com/2009/06/nineteenth-century-boots.html




Below are some images of 19th century Blucher style boots, no where as high as the Fugawee hi-low boot.


Personally, I would steer clear of the Fugawee style boot until I came across some primary documentation, preferably in the form of a documented extant hi-low boot image.
Keith.

There are wildfires raging near where Keith lives. He has prepared for evacuation if they approach his house too closely.
I wish him good fortune!

This may be interesting to the discussion?

"And in 1705 Robert Beverley wrote of the Virginians:

They have their Cloathing of all sorts from England, as Linnen, Woollen, Silk, Hats, and Leather.... The very Furrs that their Hats are made of, perhaps go first from thence; and most of their Hides lie and rot, or are made use of, only for covering dry Goods, in a leaky House. Indeed some few Hides with much Adoe are tann’d, and made into Servents Shoes; but at so careless a rate, that the Planters don’t care to buy them, if they can get others, and sometimes perhaps a better manager than ordinary will vouchsafe to make a pair of Breeches of a Deer-Skin.

Nearly a half-century later, as Williamsburg’s era of greatest affluence began, a merchant of Louisa County, Francis Jerdone by name, lamented that “the Virginians have most of their shoemakers in their own families, and have no occasion for any but stuff [i.e., cloth] shoes from Britain.” He referred to members of the well-to-do planter class, who customarily maintained on their plantations one or more skilled workmen. Among these there was almost sure to be included a cordwainer to make and repair the footwear of the plantation “family,” a term that included the slaves. The shoemaker might be a slave himself, or an indentured servant, or a journeyman receiving wages.12

However, Francis Jerdone could just as well have been writing of another kind of Virginia planter, the small farmer who built his own house and barns, made his own crude furniture, coopered his own hogsheads, ground his own corn, sheared his own sheep, and made the family’s shoes while his wife spun and wove their clothing. These small farmers, far outnumbering the great planters, would not have ordered cloth shoes from London, to be sure. But neither would they have ordered very many leather ones, either from England or from Williamsburg shoemakers."

Also:

ROBERT GILBERT, BOOT and SHOEMAKER, &c. HEREBY acquaints the publick that he has opened shop near the Capitol in Williamsburg, where he intends carrying on his business in all its branches, viz. shoe or channel, calf or buckskin boots, jockey do. and splatterdashes, mens plain, stitched, spring, and wood-heeled, shoes and pumps, calf or dogskin; campaign, single, double, or turned channels, slippers, blue or red turkey, cork soles, galloches; womens leather, stuff, silk, and braided shoes and pumps, slippers, cork soles, galloches, and clogs. As he imports the whole of his materials from Great Britain, where punctual payments are required, he proposes supplying Ladies and Gentlemen with any of the above articles on the most reasonable terms, for ready money. Those who please to favour him with their custom may depend on their work being speedily executed, in the genteelest and newest fashions, and in such a manner as he hopes will merit a continuance of their favours.

(Virginia Gazette, June 30, 1768)

www.gutenberg.org/files/58293/58293-h/58293-h.htm

Gus

Edited to add:  I have not been successful at finding out what was meant by the nomenclature "channels" in the list of shoe and boots.

This is the one that has me puzzled...