Do you remember what it was like to put your foot into the wrong shoe? Young children do this all the time. I still remember how uncomfortable it felt.
Children don’t pay a lot of attention to that and mostly it doesn’t seem to bother them. Adults are a different story.
But did you know that up until as late as 1850 shoemakers didn’t differentiate between the left and the right? They made both shoes straight with no curve in them to shape to the feet. I can only imagine how awful they were to wear.
I’ve often stared at shoes in a museum and think how they must’ve hurt the wearer’s poor feet.
Thankfully, we’ve come a long way since the days of ill-fitting, uncomfortable shoes. Today, we have a wide range of options, including specialized running shoes that prioritize comfort and performance.
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting your fitness journey, finding the right pair of running shoes can make all the difference.
Advanced technologies, such as cushioning systems, arch support, and breathable materials, ensure a comfortable and supportive fit for your feet.
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With the combination of well-designed running shoes and the guidance provided by a reliable running app, you can enjoy a comfortable and efficient running experience while taking care of your feet and maximizing your performance.
My daughter took me shopping for some sandals for my birthday which is tomorrow and it took a while to find any that were comfortable. So I cannot imagine wearing a pair with both the left and right shaped the same. Good heavens!
And what if you were of the royal family or the queen and had to be graceful? It had to have taken strong will to hide a grimace.
Here are Queen Victoria’s wedding shoes. She wore a size 3 1/2 but was only 4’ 11” tall so I guess that’s in proportion to her.
Marie Antoinette of France owned 500 pairs of shoes. She also wore size 3. Of note, she lost a shoe going to the guillotine and her guards made her leave it. Coincidentally, she was 5’ 6”. Here are hers.
These are what Mary, Queen of Scots wore.
Two anonymous pair from the 18th century. Oh, my aching feet!!
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18th Century Shoes The British Museum
Of note, women back then bound their toes in order to fit into smaller shoes. Especially the royals. They considered big feet to be distasteful. What I’m wondering is why they wanted sharp-toed shoes. The tip of the shoe turned up when worn and looks awful.
Big change came with the invention of machinery for making shoes and they were finally able to differentiate between left and right. Hallelujah! Or we’d still be forced to wear such horrible shoes or go back to strapping furs to our feet. I vote for furs!
My dad had little feet and had to wear a size 5 boys. My oldest sister always wore a women’s 5 and could rarely find shoes to fit. I wore a 5 until I had children then they grew to a 6 1/2.. Small feet came from my dad’s side. My mother wore a 9 and had trouble with her feet all her life.
What about you? Any family history to share or any thoughts about these uncomfortable shoes in the pictures?
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
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The foot would often mold the shoe to fit its shape over time. And the sharp toes provided a good weapon. : )
Janice, you are so right. Ha! Maybe that’s why the toes are bent. 🙂 Yes, I suppose if the leather was soft enough the shoes would shape to the wearers feet. Until then…Ouch! Thanks for coming.
We went barefoot pretty much until we were grown. We still don’t like shoes!
Rhonda, I went barefoot a lot too. Kids love the natural feel of the earth beneath their feet. Well, most shoes are just not that comfortable. I have a hard time finding some that don’t hurt. Thank you so much for stopping by.
I have the hardest time finding shoes to fit–wide, not fat feet, but narrow heels. So, I can’t imagine those shoes. Plus, I wear between a 6.5 and 7. Smaller sizes can be hard to find.
My dad had a set of cast iron shoe lasts, and I’m not sure if they had L and R. I imagine they were from the 1800s. Something he got at the flea market.
Denise, you do have very unusual feet. Wow! Very hard to fit. Those cast iron shoe lasts were a wonderful find! I’m sure your dad is happy to find them. Have a blessed day.
I find shoes hard to fit. I prefer none but you do have to wear them
Debra, I’m sure that was the exact thinking back in the day. They had to accept that they were horrible because they had no choice. While I was writing this, I found out that a lot of the women wore half-shoes–only the toe portion. That was all that showed under the long dresses. So they did have solutions. A lot of Marie Antoinette’s shoes were slides and that would’ve been less painful. I also think Martha Washington wore slides too. Thanks for coming to read my post.
I am the shortest and have the smallest feet of my immediate family – Mom and both sisters wear a 10, dad was a 12 but all over 6 feet tall – I’m only 5’8″ and wear an 8.5!
Teresa, you have a tall family. I think feet have naturally changed over time. Maybe we’re constantly evolving and constantly changing. I cannot imagine wearing a size 3. Oh my gosh! Those would’ve looked like kids’ feet. I also read while I was writing this that queens appointed a person to break in their shoes for them. Queen Elizabeth definitely does. But I can understand that. How nice to get them already broken in. No queen wants blisters on her heels. Thank you for coming.
Welcome and Happy Birthday. Wow I cant imagine. They look like torture devices. I would say moccasins all the way. Actually I much prefer bare feet, but that is not acceptable out in public. Thanks for sharing this interesting information.
Lori, thank you for sweet birthday wish! Each one now gets to be harder. Like you, I just really can’t imagine wearing any of these shoes. What torture! Sandals aren’t bad though and I wear those in the summer. Wouldn’t be too good for winter. I guess in winter we could wear moccasins. I love the feel of moccasins. They’re the next best thing to barefoot. The only bad thing is when you walk on rocks. Ouch! I used to always have a pair but it’s been a while now. Enjoy your day! Blessings and love.
Interesting post, my friend! Shoes have always been an issue with me! While I have fairly small feet, they are wide at the top so it’s hard to find shoes that are comfortable! I always look for wide shoes but there aren’t a lot of styles that have them other than tennis shoes! I tend to wear my shoes for years if and when I find a pair I like!
Happy, Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!!! Let’s get together!
Valri, thank God for tennis shoes! They’ve saved a lot of feet. I envy those who don’t seem to have feet problems and have such cute shoes. No wonder there were so many beheadings back in earlier days. I wouldn’t have wanted to be the poor shoemaker! Talk about pressure. Yes, I’d like to have lunch. I’ll text you.
I always feel that if your shoes don’t fit right, peope can see it on your face. I take a half size, and it sometimes means I have to buy a 9 in a shoe or boot, because an 8 is too tight. Not a lot of shoes in 8 1/2…That’s why I love summer. I live in my flip-flops and slides, as I can get them in an 8 and they are not tight.
That’s a great solution, Kathleen. Feet are really a problem with most people and they’re so important. It’s difficult to get a good fit. I don’t wear many dresses or skirts (which I love to do) because of the shoe issue. I read an article while I was writing this post that a lot of the queens wore only the toe portion. That’s all that showed anyway. They also wore quite a few slides and things like that and I can see why. I would not want to put my feet in any of these shoes!! Thanks for coming.
Happy Birthday! I think like you the point is ugly. Do you remember when shoes had straight points? I didn’t like thos either. My feet are the smallest in my family and I wear anything from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 depending on how it is made. Believe me that is a problem so I either buy from the children departments or buy a shoe a little too big. I’m 5’2”.
Thank you so much, Karijean! I hated those sharp pointed shoes that used to be the style in I think it was the 60s or 70s. Couldn’t wear them. Wow, you have a very small foot! You know how Queen Victoria felt. Prince Albert was 7 inches or more taller than her. I think he was 5′ 8″. I’m sure you have such a horrible time finding adult shoes. Wow! Thanks for coming.
These shoes did look very uncomfortable, I would have hated to wear them. It’s hard to find a comfortable pair of shoes for me. If I ever do, I wear them until they look so bad I have to buy some more.
Connie, I’m beginning to wonder if anyone doesn’t have trouble with shoes. 🙂 I totally understand the hard task of finding some that you can wear. I buy so many and they sit in my closet. Thanks for coming.
Since i left school in 1962 i havent worn dresses or skirts. Only on my wedding day. As for shoes when we left school we would run home with no shoes on. Even in the summer.
Emma, thanks for joining us. I went barefoot a lot when I was a kid too. That’s a typical kid. 🙂 I understand about not wearing dresses or skirts. It’s the shoe issue for me. I love them but you can’t wear sneakers with them. Ha! Much love.
Early Happy Birthday! I always buy books (ebooks now) for myself on my birthday. All I can say about the shoes is ouch…
Aww, thank you so much, JCP! My son has already given me a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card so new books will be coming up. Thanks for joining in the discussion.
I’m with you, those shoes look horrid! I wear a size 5 1/2, and it’s really hard to find them!! I wear slightly larger in sneakers. It also depends on the brand, from one brand to another my feet can change size drastically! My Mom wore a 6 1/2, my oldest sister wears a 6 1/2, and another sister wears an 8 or 9. Not sure about the other one! I think my Daddy wore a 10.
Trudy, it’s it odd about the difference between brands? I’ve found that also the case. Always have to try them on. A 5 1/2 is really small. I sympathize. It’s just so hard to find cute adult shoes. My sister really has a time. Thanks for coming.
Oh my Linda, I grimace every time I see shows in a museum. And to think of the ladies traveling west in coveted wagons. My feet hurt thinking about it. I’m glad they started making shoes bigger, I am more like your mom in shoe size. Depending on the shoes, I wear sizes with ranges of 8.5-9.5.
Thanks for this awesome blog. Love you
Miss Tonya, very happy to see you. I cannot imagine those pioneer women going west and having to walk a good portion of the trip. I’m sure their poor feet took a beating and killed them. I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I did a very short snippet a year or so ago but not a whole blog. Actually, I was looking and it was when Saving the Mail Order Bride came out. Nora had such a time with her shoes in that book. The heel of one of her shoes broke off and Jack promptly snapped off the other one. I just find old shoes so interesting. You have a blessed day. Lots of love.
Have a wonderful birthday, Linda! What an uncomfortable looking assortment of shoes, mostly stiff and heavy. I have a pair of house slippers where left and right don’t look very different and I always have trouble deciding which to put on which foot. Enjoy your week!
Sally, thank you for the birthday wish! I appreciate that. I’m also with you on house slippers that look the same and often get them on the wrong feet. Yes, it feels so weird when I get them on the wrong feet. I’m happy you enjoyed my post. Blessings and love.
OH MY GOSH. Those shoes in the images of your blog hurt me to LOOK at them! LOL I can only imagine the agony of trying to ‘break in’ a new pair. When I was a teenager, when I complained about something being uncomfortable my mother would look at me in all seriousness and say, “Cheryl, you are too young to worry about being comfortable. That’s for when you are old.” LOL
I had to wear corrective shoes from the time I started wearing shoes until I was about 12. They were so ugly–saddle oxfords, when saddle oxfords were not in style. LOL Not all that comfortable because they were heavy and clunky. When I was about 10 or so, they had a pair in my size that were RED!!! Oh how I wanted those shoes–they were not only red, they were made out of velveteen material of some kind on the top. My mom did give in and let me have them, though she really fought with herself about it because of the color and how they wouldn’t ‘go’ with so many other colors. But I wore them and felt so much better because of that color. (Kind of a version of the ruby slippers, only not quite as pretty…) LOL Great post, Linda. I hope you have a very happy birthday tomorrow! Eat a piece of cake for me! XOXO
Cheryl, they hurt me to look at them too. No wonder so many beheadings took place. HaHa. Those shoemakers were put in a horrible position. I sure wouldn’t have wanted to ply that profession! How funny about your mom. They didn’t realize kids had trouble too. I’m glad you fought for the red slippers. YAY for you! That really boosted your self-esteem. Thank you for the birthday wish! Much love, dear Filly sister.
What a fun post, sister. I remember Daddy having trouble finding work boots, especially steel-toed ones, because his feet was so little. I wore a size 5 1/2 for years and now I’m up to a 6 1/2. 🙂 Everything spreads. Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!
Hi sister! Yes, poor Daddy had trouble with work boots. I felt sorry for him. I never knew why his feet were so small. Bet it was our grandpa. He was kind of short anyway and Granny Smith’s feet were probably big since she was so tall. Yeah, it’s it odd how everything does spread? Poor Queen Victoria had nine kids and with her 4′ 11″ height she spread out–way out. Love you so much.
Thank you for this fascinating post! Have a lovely birthday, Linda!
Caryl, I’m glad you enjoyed the subject. It’s pretty interesting to see what they had to wear but I’m glad things have changed dramatically from those. I wouldn’t have worn them. Sorry. No way. Thank you for coming. Blessings and love.
No real foot issues, except “flat feet.” I always took a 7 – 7 1/2 until I got older. I have a tendency to go barefoot around the house and over time my feet have gotten bigger. I now take an 8 to 8 1/2. I have a hard enough time finding comfortable shoes, just the thought of having to deal with these hurts.
Like Denise’s dad, I have a set of shoe lasts and stand. There is a 4 inch baby form, 4 1 !/2 inch youth form, 8 1/2 inch woman’s form with a very pointed toe, and a man’s about 10 inches. I would certainly hope the cobbler could make accommodations for feet that varied from those measurements. Some of the old shoes are lovely, but certainly couldn’t be very comfortable. Like you, I vote for furs. The native Americans had the right idea and were much more comfortable in moccasins.
An early Happy Birthday to you. I hope you have an enjoyable day.
Linda, this is great! I haven’t seen a blog like this one. So interesting. Both of my daughters and all of my granddaughters were 9’s which they got from Bob’s mother. My mother wore what I consider “regular” size at 7 1/2, which is what I wear now. I love, love your blog. Happy, happy birthday! We’ll talk tomorrow. Love you, P
I have small feet and wear a 5 1/2 wide or 6 depending on how they are made. I prefer rounded toe shoes they are more comfortable, those pointed shoes are painful.
It definitely makes my feet hurt to look at those shoes. Thanks for sharing this fun blog today!