Shoes: European Shoes
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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 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.
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Deutsches Ledermuseum / Schuhmuseum Offenbach |
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D-63067 Offenbach | Frankfurter Str. 86 | Tel. 0049-(0)69829798-0 | Fax 0049-(0)69810900 |
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Webpages created by Dr. Burkhard Gäbler |
