Introduction
The early 1900s was a prosperous time in America. After the end of the Industrial Revolution in 1840, the United States became more technologically and scientifically advanced than many other countries across the world. While many changes began to take place across the states, money became more disposable, and more wealth was seen across the board for both the rich and the poor. When it came to clothing, however, the Victorian era women who were wealthy could still buy from expensive shoe companies such as the Queen Quality company in Boston. The poor women, men, and children of the Victorian era had the hand-me-downs from their family members and worked too often for too little money and could rarely afford new or nice things.
Our Shoe
Our shoe was donated to the Idaho Historical Society in 1968 but was worn by the donor’s mother, Mrs. John H. Burke, in 1917. The shoes are a Victorian Era style leather shoe, sitting mid-calf in height, floral eyelets with a deliberate box toe. The shoe is 9 inches long with a 2.75-inch heel. The shoe exhibits an extremely curvy heel, which was made to accentuate the curves of a woman’s body and appeal to the fashionistas of the day. We can tell that the shoes are well worn because the nails on the heel are exposed, the leather is weathered, and there are creases over the entire surface. While we do not know who exactly wore the shoe or who Mrs. John H. Burkes mother was further research into the shoe and the economy in the 1900s shows that a wealthier woman would have worn the shoes. We also found a similar shoe at an antique shop that was made by Queen Quality, a shoe company in Boston Massachusetts. While the antique shop shoe is like the shoe that Mrs. John H. Burke donated, our shoe is extremely unique and there were only a few of them ever made. The 3D version of our shoe gives a 360 degree look at the entire shoe to give a better perspective and view.
Queen Quality Shoe Company
While we were not able to find a label in the donated shoes, the manufacturer for shoes like this is the Queen Quality shoe company located in Boston, MA. Queen Quality earned its moniker and inspiration from Queen Louisa of Prussia.
In their catalog, they explain that because Queen Louisa is their muse, the shoes are “a symbol of beauty and sterling qualities, has for more than a century held a place in history as a personality rare and perfect.” The company’s goal was to create exquisite shoes for American Women that were of quality high enough for a queen. Each shoe retailed at $3 a pair, which made it easily accessible for upper class women. Today, these shoes would cost almost $80 per pair. The original idea was to create 6,000 a day, but by the time the catalog was printed, circa 1900, they were creating upwards of 8,000 pairs of shoes a day, while still creating well designed products. The slogan of the company is “they fit where others fail”, and the quality of the shoe is seen in every stitch. The poor during this time would not have able to afford these shoes, and would only have been able to come into ownership of a pair via donation, finding them, or stealing them.
The Journey to Idaho
The donated shoes could have made it to Idaho by a couple different ways. The Queen Quality shoe company had a mail service where someone could order the shoes through the mail and the shoes would be sent to the requester. The shoes could have also been purchased at the shoe company and then the buyers moved to Idaho. Either way, these shoes donated by Mrs. John H. Burke are one-of-a-kind and tell an interesting story and bring a unique history to Idaho.
Conclusion
Idaho is full of rich history ranging from the people and the stories that they tell, to the clothes that they wore. Shoes are a very important factor when it comes to someone’s wealth, style, how hard they worked, and how they were raised. For a shoe of great detail and style to be in Idaho during the 1900s says a lot about Idaho’s culture and how well the state was doing as a whole. It is vital for this generation to understand our Idaho history because it is important to know where our families came from and what brought them here to raise their families.
Who wore it better
Who wore it better? On the left, we have Elizabeth. She grew up in an upper class family, with her father who made his name in the oil industry in the 1880s. She has a few different types of Queen Quality shoes in her closet. On the right, we have Lillian. Her parents are lower middle class, who work for Elizabeth fathers oil company. While they are lower middle class, they’ve been able to save enough money to send their daughter to a well-to-do school. She received these shoes as a hand-me-down from a close friend who was able to afford a newer pair.
Bibliography
https://archive.org/stream/famousqueenquali00thom#page/n0/mode/2up
https://www.jphs.org/locales/2004/1/5/thomas-g-plant-shoe-factory-and-queen-quality-shoes.html
https://www.scribd.com/document/34298890/1900-The-Famous-Queen-Quality-Shoe-for-Women-Cataloge
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:THE_DELINEATORaugust1901p165.jpg
