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Shoemaking History/Archaeological Subjects |
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VOL I
Historic Shoemaking (58 mins.), June Swann (former Keeper
of the Shoe Collection for Northampton Central Museum, Northampton, England)
uses her excellent collection of colored slides as she traces the history
of shoemaking from Ancient Rome through the development of the modern
factory. She details the way hand cutting and stitching evolved into modern
shoemaking machinery.
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VOL II
(1)Military Shoes, 1911-1915 (34 mins.), Capt Ernest
W. Peterkin. The late Capt. Peterkin discusses the shoes and boots worn
by sailors and soldiers around the world during this volatile period for
military footwear. He outlines an era that began with soldiers wearing
shoes that were so uncomfortable it cost them their battles, and ended
with the development of the Munson Last, the foundation for "the
best shoe ever furnished American trooops."
(2)Modern Manufacture, Pinnacles and Pitfalls (35 mins.), Larry Waller.
The development of Larry's shop, the Walrus Shoe Factory where he makes
period shoes for re-enactors and museum living history personnel such as
at Colonial Williamsburg and Old Sturbridge Village.
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VOL III
Anatomy of Archaelogical Shoes (66 mins.), Al Saguto.
With transparencies, showing technical drawings of actual shoes from the
17th, 18th, & 19th centuries, Al discusses shoe archaeology. The drawings
illustrate disassembled shoes and show how they were constructed and repaired.
Following the transparencies, Al and Dean Nelson show and discuss Dean's
fabulous collection of recovered footwear from the same centuries.
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VOL V
(1)US Army Bootee, 1861-1865 (37 mins.), Capt. Ernest
W. Peterkin. Using transparencies, the late Capt. Peterkin traces the
evolution of the Army Bootee from the development of the Jefferson Boot
through the Blucher shoes worn by soldiers and cavalry of the Civil War.
He discusses manufacturers, inspection marks, and the actual construction
of the Bootee.
(2)Shoemakers at Work, 1474-1877 (40 mins.), Al Saguto.
With colored slides, Al shows shoemakers at their benches and discusses
the clothing they wear, tools, postures, work locations, and how so little
has changed over the Centuries. Many of the slides were taken by Al at
the recent tour of England's Shoe Museums by the Cordwainers.
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VOL VI
(1) Shoemaking By The Book (38 mins.), Al Saguto. Using
transparencies, Al examines shoemaking manuals from Medieval times through
the 18th century. A time when shoemakers made wonderful shoes without
the help of sewing machines and modern adhesives. How did they do it?
What kinds of tools and materials did they use? What were the names of
their tools? Al answers these questions with pictures of actual pages
from the books used by those shoemakers.
(2) Hessian, Hussar, Hungarian Boots (33 mins.), June
Swann. With beautiful color slides, June introduces us to this boot style.
She shows us exactly what makes a boot a Hessian, who made them, who wrote
about them, and who wore them (cavalry, Napoleon, and - would you believe
- billy the Kid, among others).
(3) The Leather and Tanning Museums of France (19 mins.), Rene Hackstetter.
As a bonus, Rene enthusiastically shares with us his recent tour of obscure
French Leather museums. All charming small town museums.
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VOL VIII
(1)Shoes from Columbus to the Present (45 mins.), June
Swann. Using her personal collection of beautiful slides, June discusses
American shoes and shoemaking from Primitive Native American footwear
through the latest styles.
(2)The Shoemaking Industry in Early 19th Century Massachusetts
(25 mins.), Peter Oakley presents an intriguing insight into
this era of flourishing American shoe production with the aid of factory
production figures, numbers of employees, excerpts from account books,
and the actual diary of a shoemaker.
(3)A Look at Two 18th Century Shoemakers (20 mins.),
Paul Lurk. While doing research for setting up a shoemaking shop for George
Washington’s Mount Vernon Museum, Paul stumbled upon the actual
shoemakers that made shoes for our first president. They made shoes for
George Washington at Mount Vernon.
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VOL IX
(1) Shoemaking From Historical Sources: Preserving a Process
as an Artifact (45 mins.), Al Saguto.Working with his personal
collection of slides and equipped with his background of years of work
in a museum shoe shop, Al examines the philosophy of historical shoemaking
in museum environment.
(2) A visit to the shoe shop at Plimoth Plantation, Rusty
Moore. The Cordwainers visit the studio exhibit in the Plimoth Crafts
Center for a personal impromptu tour of Rusty’s work at setting
up a shoe shop to replicate 17th Century shoes.
(3) Military Accouterments of the 40th Regiment of Grenadiers
(30 mins.), Tim Wilson. Using detailed slides and diagrams, Tim presents
his research on the reproduction of the uniform and leather equipment
of the Grenadiers in the French and Indian War.
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VOL X
(2) 18th c. Footwear, Shoemaking Tools, & Devices (35
mins.), Al Saguto. Master Shoemaker, Colonial Williamsburg, presents a
slide presentation highlighting and describing the various tools and devices
gathered from Colonial Williamsburg, private and international collections.
The slides will photo-illustrate his forthcoming book, The Art of the
Cordwainer by M. DeGarsault.
(3) Cordwainer's Shoe Collection (24 mins.), Al Saguto
examines each pair of
historical shoes in the Cordwainers’ Shoe Collection in chronological
order, from the late 1770s through to the early 20th century. He displays
and describes the details and construction technique of each piece.
(1) Double Channel English-Style Top Boots (49 mins.), Kenneth Treese.
The construction of a pair of reproduction top boots from patterning to
polishing.
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Vol XI
(1) 18th Century Apprenticeship (25 mins.), Harold Gill.
Historian (ret.), Historic Trades Department, Colonial Williamsburg, 1961-1991,
discusses his research on apprenticeship for 18th century trades. He covers
apprenticeship indentures, education, and orphans, focusing on shoemakers
and his book, Apprentices of Virginia, 1623-1800.
(2) Reproducing 18th Century Shoemaking Tools (56 mins.),
Peter Ross. Master Blacksmith, Colonial Williamsburg, shares his research
on the background and detailed construction of reproduction 18th century
pincers, nippers, and other related historic shoemaking tools as used
in the Shoemaking shop at the museum.
(3) Shoemakers of New Hampshire (26 mins.), Bruce Graham,
historian/Cord-
wainer, New Hampshire. Using an old diary (1882) of his wife’s grandparents,
who were part time shoemakers and part time farmers, Bruce discusses the
history of shoemaking in New Hampshire. They “made shoes on the
kitchen table“ and forwarded them to large manufacturers in his
state.
(4) William Asadorian Archaeological Footwear Collection
(17 mins.) Al Saguto, Master Shoemaker, Colonial Williamsburg. Al displays
and discusses Shoe remnants taken from the lower Manhattan, East River
landfill. And donated to Colonial Williamsburg.
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Vol XIII
(1) This Old Shoe (22 mins.), Donna Albergotti. Following
a spirited how-to orientation, Donna, separates the cordwainers into work
groups for a hands-on workshop. Using paper, pencils and white cotton
gloves, they examine identify and
draw various mid to late 18th c. Shoes and fragments.
(2)So You Want to Make Shoes For a Living (38 mins.),
Bruce Graham. A discussion of the technical research and development he's
gone through to develop and market an affordable, hand made shoe.
(3) Living History, Hand Shoemaking in Ecuador (15 min.), Dan Freeman.
A review and critique of a fascinating tape of an Ecuadorian shoemaker
who creates beautiful shoes with only a few simple (primitive) tools.
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Vol XV
(2) The Smallest Shoes from the Museums of Europe, Alzbeta
Kolcunova (38 min.) A university paper delivered in the Czech Republic
that examines children’s shoes from the Medieval period through
the 20th century. Includes an interesting formula for calculating the
height of the children that wore those shoes.
(1) Waxed Ends using inexpensive nylon line for a bristle and dacron
polyester thread, D. W. Frommer (12 min.) An amazing hands-on demonstration
using these unusual items to perform the same functions as an expensive
hog’s bristle and linen thread.
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Vol XXI
(1)Digging Old Shoes (37 mins.) Al Saguto. Using slides,
Al examines the treasure trove of 18th century shoes as recovered from
burial or under water, from sewers, wells or sunken ships.
(2) Handmade Books (23 mins.) Bruce Graham. A "Show & Tell"
presentation of Bruce's latest interest, book binding. He shows off his
beautiful leather bound books and fields how-to questions from the cordwainers.
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Vol XXV
Mediaeval Shoes (60 mins.) Marc Carlson. Marc’s
interests lie in how mediaeval shoes
were made. In this presentation, he discusses several methods that he
believes those ancient shoemakers used during this dark time period.
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Vol XXVII
(2) Archaeological Shoes from the Colonial Williamsburg Collection
and Old Philadelphia (45 mins.) Val Povinelli. Val presents the
paper he is working on as his Journeyman project for Colonial Williamsburg.
The detailed report includes the percentage of the shoes that were stitched,
pegged, etc. down to counting the stitches per inch attained by those
Colonial shoemakers.
(1) Hoisting (45 mins.) Dan Freeman. Dan demonstrates the technique of
lasting using the hoisting method by actually lasting a pump and a boot.
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Vol XXVIII
(2) Walking in Big Ben’s Shoes: Reproducing a mid-19th
Century
Slave’s Shoes (46 mins.) Paul Lurk. Big Ben, a slave, was
a huge man with extremely large feet. Paul tells Ben's story and examines
one of Ben’s large shoes from a museum, then sets about creating
a last for the shoe.
(1) Custom Lastmaking by the STS Sock Method (45 mins.) Glen Leasure.
Using a fellow Cordwainer’s foot as a model, Glen demonstrates his
techniques for creating
a custom plaster last by taking a mold of the foot.
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The Business of Making Shoes/Boots for
a Living |
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Vol II
(2)Modern Manufacture, Pinnacles and Pitfalls (35 mins.),
Larry Waller. The development of Larry's shop, the Walrus Shoe Factory
where he makes period shoes for re-enactors and museum living history
personnel such as at Colonial Williamsburg and Old Sturbridge Village.
(1)Military Shoes, 1911-1915 (34 mins.), Capt Ernest W. Peterkin. The late
Capt. Peterkin discusses the shoes and boots worn by sailors and soldiers
around the world during this volatile period for military footwear. He outlines
an era that began with soldiers wearing shoes that were so uncomfortable
it cost them their battles, and ended with the development of the Munson
Last, the foundation for "the best shoe ever furnished American trooops."
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Vol IV
(2) Operating a Successful Shoemaking Shop (37 min.)
Dan Freeman. Mr. Freeman is a custom shoemaker. Like most Cordwainers,
Dan loves to make shoes. In this roundtable discussion, he explores the
various techniques for making a living while becoming successful enough
to support yourself with your craft. The Cordwainers describe their individual
efforts to resolve this ever present problem.
(1) Conducting a Shoemaking Workshop (46 min.) Peter
Oakley. Mr. Oakley works in the shoemaking shop at Old Sturbridge Village
and regularly teaches a course on making historical shoes. In this presentation,
he discusses his techniques for running successful workshops, including
class sizes, course length, tools and materials.
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Vol XIII
(2)So You Want to Make Shoes For a Living (38 mins.),
Bruce Graham. A discussion of the technical research and development he's
gone through to develop and market an affordable, hand made shoe.
(3) Living History, Hand Shoemaking in Ecuador (15 min.),
Dan Freeman. A review and critique of a fascinating tape of an Ecuadorian
shoemaker who creates beautiful shoes with only a few simple (primitive)
tools.
(1) This Old Shoe (22 mins.), Donna Albergotti. Following a spirited
how-to orientation, Donna, separates the cordwainers into work groups
for a hands-on workshop. Using paper, pencils and white cotton gloves,
they examine identify and draw various mid to late 18th c. Shoes and fragments.
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Vol XVI
(1) Tour of the Walrus Shoe Factory, Larry Waller (30
min.) An enthusiastic complete tour of the factory where Larry manufactures
replica historical shoes for museum personnel and re-enactors. He demonstrates
his extensive collection of antique and modern shoe machines.
(2) Experiences of a London Shoe Maker, Peter Schweiger
(28 min.) Peter spins riveting yarns from “Ol’ Blighty”,
interesting and bizarre customers and the unusual requests he’s
encountered in the many years of his London shop.
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Pattern Making |
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Vol XII
(2)Critique of Simple Shoemaking Techniques (29 min),
Sharon Raymond, lecturer and shoemaker, Shutesbury, MA. Sharon discusses
her craft of using a molded foil technique for creating a pattern for
constructing custom simple stitch-down shoes.
(1)The Ubiquitous Shoe Last: A Look at Lasts Old & New (42 min.),
Al Saguto, Master Shoemaker, Colonial Williamsburg, and Dan Freeman, custom
shoe/boot maker. Using an extensive collection of lasts, Al discusses
the history of the last from Ancient times to the present. Dan discusses
the utilitarian functions of the last.
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Vol XIX
Practical Pattern Making, (80 mins.) Frank Jones, Director-Noble
Footwear, Lancashire, Great Britain. Using a technique of wrapping the
last with masking tape, Frank creates a last draft and completes the patterns
for a ladies pump. A great hands-on, how to demonstration.
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Vol XXII
Patterning Uppers (42 MIN.) Dan Freeman, Master Shoemaker.
Using lasts and pattern paper, Dan outlines his techniques for creating
patterns, including how he “springs” the toe so it conforms
to the curved bottom of the last. Another great hands-on video.
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Vol XXIII
(1) New Solutions for Simple shoemaking (35 min.) Sharon
Raymond, Shoemaker. Sharon has written a book and given a previous presentation
to the Cordwainers about her technique of patterning and constructing
outstitched shoes. She discusses how her career and techniques have evolved
since the book and the presentation.
(2) Making Fashion Shoes (12 min.) Ellen Hess, Shoemaker.
Ellen first learned the craft of simple shoemaking from Sharon. Her interest
piqued, she determined to make shoes on a last. This led her to a shoemaking
course at FIT where they featured the art of fashion shoemaking. Ellen
discusses the techniques she has learned and displays her work.
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Shoemaking Techniques and Practical Demonstrations |
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Vol VII
Making a 19th Century Peg Shoe (70 mins.) Peter Oakley.
A hands on, how to, workshop (practically a seminar) on making this style
of shoe so popular in the 1800s. Using shoes in various stages of completion,
Peter shows the way, from attaching the insole to the last through burnishing
and finishing the bottom. He uses and discusses the tools, the thread,
the materials and, of course, the pegs. Depending on how much knowledge
you bring to this video, you could conceivabley make you own peg shoes
after watching it. A must have for the craftsman’s video library.
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Vol X
(1) Double Channel English-Style Top Boots (49 mins.),
Kenneth Treese. The construction of a pair of reproduction top boots from
patterning to polishing.
(2) 18th c. Footwear, Shoemaking Tools, & Devices (35 mins.), Al
Saguto. Master Shoemaker, Colonial Williamsburg, presents a slide presentation
highlighting and describing the various tools and devices gathered from
Colonial Williamsburg, private and international collections. The slides
will photo-illustrate his forthcoming book, The Art of the Cordwainer
by M. DeGarsault.
(3) Cordwainer's Shoe Collection(24 mins.), Al Saguto examines each pair
of
historical shoes in the Cordwainers’ Shoe Collection in chronological
order, from the late 1770s through to the early 20th century. He displays
and describes the details and construction technique of each piece.
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XIV
Crimping the Full Wellington Boot (60 Mins.) D. W. Frommer.
In this amazing presentation, D. W. performs a step-by-step demonstration
of how he crimps a full (one piece front) Wellington boots by hand, doing
the seemingly impossible with just wet leather, crimping boards, clamps,
a hammer, tacks, and a few hand tools.
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Vol XV
(1) Waxed Ends Using Inexpensive Nylon Line for a Bristle and
Dacron Polyester Thread, D. W. Frommer (12 min.) An amazing hands-on
demonstration using these unusual items to perform the same functions
as an expensive hog’s bristle and linen thread.
(2) The Smallest Shoes from the Museums of Europe, Alzbeta Kolcunova
(38 min.) A university paper delivered in the Czech Republic that examines
children’s shoes from the Medieval period through the 20th century.
Includes an interesting formula for calculating the height of the children
that wore those shoes.
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Vol XVII
Making Classic 60s Style Sandals, (60 Mins.) John Bailey,
Master Leather Craftsman.
John learned the trade in 1970s Boston, when there was literally a sandal
maker on every street corner of all the major cities. In this presentation
he designs and completes, step by step, a molded sole, Rilleau sling sandal,
one of the most popular styles of the era. He includes a generous sprinkling
of anecdotes from those glorious days of the beatnik/hippie sandal makers.
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Vol XVIII
Boot Inseaming, (54 Mins.)Jake Dobbins, Arkansas Boot
Maker. Jake learned the trade from D. W. Frommer. In this presentation
he demonstrates the art of inseaming the welt of a western boot as taught
by D. W.
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Vol XXIV
Hand Sewing an Outsole, (60 Mins.) Jake Dobbins, Arkansas
Boot Maker. Jake demonstrates the art of hand sewing an outsole, virtually
duplicating the work of a curved needle stitcher. He discusses cutting
the groove in the sole, punching the holes through the welt and sole,
and finally, attaching the bristle to the thread and sewing with it.
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Vol XXVI
Making an Awl Blade (60 Mins.) Dick demonstrates the
art of creating a curved awl blade from cutting a length of raw steel
through the finishing, polishing and attachment of the handle. All of
Dicks tools, works of art, are coveted by working cordwainers.
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Vol XXVII
(1) Hoisting (45 Mins.) Dan Freeman. Dan demonstrates
his technique of lasting using thehoisting method by lasting a pump and
a boot.
(2) Archaeological Shoes from the Colonial Williamsburg and Old Philadelphia
- Val Povinelli
Val presents the paper he is working on as his Journeyman project for
Colonial Williamsburg. The detailed report includes the percentage of
the shoes that were stitched, pegged, etc. down to counting the stitches
per inchattained by those Colonial shoemakers.
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