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The European collections encompass the entire period from Roman times
to the present day. Early exhibits begin with the shoes of the "bog
people" dating from the 2nd century A.D., shoes from around 1000
A.D. uncovered at Haithabu, 15th century peaked-toe boots and "horn
and cow mouth" shoes from the time of Albrecht Dürer and Hans
Sachs in 16th century Germany. While the elegant silk shoes of 18th century
nobility are a special attraction in themselves, the 19th century is also
well represented with numerous exquisite shoes of the nobility and middle
classes. Shoes of Austria's Empress Elisabeth (Sissy) from around 1865
appear alongside ankle boots from 1870 by the famous Parisian shoe manufacturer,
Pinet.
With the onset of art nouveau in the early 20th century, the ankle boot
lost favour to the buckled court shoe. All decades of the 20th century
brought with them an increasing diversification of footwear to match the
occasion, with formal dress shoes for city life, casual shoes as leisureware,
and sports shoes of all kinds. Now, at the close of the 20th century,
sports shoe design is merging with youth and leisure footwear styles.
The Shoe Museum pays close attention to these trends, collecting examples
and staging small exhibitions to present the observed changes. The Museum
keeps up with fashion developments by virtue of its contacts with the
DSI (German Shoe Institute) in Offenbach and the International Shoe Fair
(GDS) in Düsseldorf. From the beginning, the museum has acquired
etchings, lithographs and drawings of shoemakers, fashion caricatures,
and outstanding collections of guild items. |
