Featured Vintage Shoes

Good evening. These interesting leather shoes were in a mixed auction lot today. I bought the lot for other items but feel that the shoes are good. They measure 27cm x12cm and are 6cm deep.

Any expert help welcome. AI makes several different suggestions and I’m not convinced that they are correct.

 

Looks like opanke shoes from SE Europe, but without the tops.

 

I can see the similarity certainly but I can't see that anything has been removed.

 

Did you find these? Not a huge help but they look similar.



https://collection.internationalfolkart.org/objects/2545/shoes

DescriptionWorn by Eric Schroeder in Persia in the 1930s or late 1920s. One piece of stiff leather that makes the sole and curves inward to hold the foot with yarn woven in a small band around the edge of the sole with red and blue alternating yarn wrapping the edge. At the heel are braided cords in natural yarn.

NameShoes
Artist Artist not recorded
Datec. 1930
Place madeIran, Middle East, Asia
MediumLeather, wool
Dimensions10 1/16 x 5 1/8 in. (25.5 x 13 cm)
Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of Mrs. Eric Schroeder, A.1972.24.65ab

Object numberA.1972.24.65ab

 

No I didn’t see these but they are very very similar.

 

Sure looks like them. I still don't know how they stayed on the wearer's feet, but I have a tough time keeping modern shoes on some days.

 

I actually tried them as they are my size and they do stay on.

 

Cool! So they look a little odd to Western eyes, but they work.

 

Do you wrap the cord at the back around your ankle in case they come off so you won't lose them? Since they were worn in the Middle East, maybe they were made like this to keep the sand out of your shoes?

 

I think these are the actual shoes. They look related to opanke and Turkish shoes, which are often worn with thick woollen socks.

I once wore Turkish shoes during a dance performance. I usually didn't dance that part, and the shoes were provided by the troupe. Problem was that I had smaller feet than everyone else. I tried to solve that with an extra pair of thick socks and tightening the leather thongs. But sure enough, during the dance someone stepped on the side of my shoe, and my toes slipped out. I sort of skip-danced the rest of the choreography, smiling a lot so people would look at my face and not my feet.
After that 'incident' I was always allowed to wear my own small Croatian opancici during suitable dances, Bulgarian, Turkish, etc because all of the available shoes were for big feet.

 

you get more interesting with each passing day...............