Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Bronze Baby Shoes |
Catalog Number |
A-2023.35.01 |
Object Name |
Shoe |
Description |
A pair of small bronzed baby shoes these may date from the 1920s or earlier. They were porbably worn by a member of the Richter or Provo family in Escanaba and bronzed by the child's parents. The shoes have a five-button closure and originally had a tassel at the top (only the right shoe still has its tassel). The bronzing or statuizing process was done by the Provo company located at 611 Ludington Street, as evidenced by the intact label on the bottom of the left shoe. They may have belonged to Anna McGirr Richter |
Date |
c. 1920 |
Collection |
Museum |
Material |
Leather/Metal |
Number of images |
5 |
Notes |
Bronzed baby shoes became popular keepsakes in 1934, when the first were made in Columbus, Ohio. A young mother, Violet Shinbach, saw a pair of bronzed baby shoes in a department store and thought it could be the start of a business. She found a metal plater who could make the shoes then sold the product door to door by going to homes that had toys and swings in the yard, suggesting a young family. She also found retail stores that would take orders for the bronzed shoes. Her husband joined the business and they began to bronze the shoes themselves. |
Search Terms |
Richer Family Provo Family |
People |
Richter, Anna McGirr |
Subjects |
Babies Bronze industry Shoes, button |
Caption |
Bronze Baby Shoes |