It’s another pre-order day! I’ve been trying to go more towards “collections” for Summer and Fall and less all-over-the-place for introducing new shoes for you ladies. With that, I’d like to introduce two new styles for mid-Victorian – “Balmoral” and “Gettysburg” in blue/black.
Gettysburgs you will be familiar with. We first did these cute little side-lace gaiters in brown wool foxed with black leather. It was time to do a new colorway, another popular combo – slate blue and black.
The second style is totally new. They’re “Balmoral” Civil War boots in black sateen foxed with black leather. They’re a faithful reproduction of a very popular style from the 1860s – so popular that several museum collections have examples, and I even found and purchased two examples online within two weeks of each other. I talk about those original boots and our reproduction in this video:
Pretty as they are, the Balmoral boot for American women was “everyday” footwear. Fabric uppers (cotton, wool) with leather foxing were extremely common and worn for all kinds of outdoor activities, sporting, walking, even working. These would have been worn during the American Civil War by both Northern and Southern women.
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| Shoe Icons – sateen foxed in leather with metal grommets, stacked leather heel, and surviving rosette |
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| American Duchess Archive – boots, 1860s, black sateen foxed with black leather. Stacked leather heel and leather sole. Rosettes on the vamp was silk ribbon with a small steel buckle. |
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| The Met – boots, 1860-69, wool. There is no foxing on these but the overall design is the same. |
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| American Duchess Archive – boots, 1860s, cotton sateen foxed with black kid, pigskin facing, white canvas lining, stacked leather heel, leather soles. |
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| Just for fun – a pair of bright red sateen and leather Balmoral boots – same design, but somebody was a bit saucy! Originally on eBay from johnsartifactorium – listing no longer available |
I’m very proud of our Balmorals! There was quite a bit of back-and-forth with the workshop trying to get the details right, but in the end I feel the boots came out splendidly. For your quick-reference:
“Balmoral” Civil War Boots
- Black cotton sateen foxed in black leather with a white stitch
- Lace-up closure with metal grommets; 3 inch tongue
- Leather soles and leather facing
- White canvas lining and leather insole
- Black stacked heel, 1.5 inch knock-on from an original 1860s shoe.
4 Comments
Decor To Adore
May 5, 2016 at 5:23 PMOh these are darling. I am currently working on an Ingalls inspired dress from the "Dance at Grandpa's" chapter in Little House in the Big Woods and these boots might be the perfect finishing touch!
Ms. Rebecca
May 5, 2016 at 11:25 PMAre the Balmorals exclusives or are they going to be a part of the "regular line?" I've been eyeballing the Gettysburgs for a work boot but these would be wonderful for dressing up.
Maggie
June 15, 2016 at 5:35 AMI really enjoyed your little video! Thanks for taking the time to shoot it – it was really interesting to see your research and process, and it was also super charming at the same time. It's obvious how excited and engaged you are. 🙂 Hope the boots do really well for you!
Joseph D. Smith
August 8, 2020 at 12:20 PMWhat are the best women's work boots?