Is the Old Shoemaker Still with You?1 Carol Colburn and Laurann Gilbertson
Shoes and shoemaker’s tools in Vesterheim’s collection pose intriguing questions. Are they more representative of the way of life in Norway or North America? Treasured enough to have an extended life in the museum, what do they tell us about the “walks of life” of the original owners? We can find a broader context for shoes and tools in the Vesterheim collection by taking a close look at the artifacts and by reading the words of immigrants’ memoirs, diaries, and letters. We will begin with a look at shoes in Norway at the time of emigration; then we will examine footwear as acquired and used in North America.
Norwegian Shoes
The 1850s marked the beginning of mass emigration from Norway to America. At that time, the population of Norway was largely rural and agrarian. Most farms were small and the farmers participated in subsistence and barter economy. Without cash to exchange, many needs for rural families were produced on the farm. Clothing was provided by the family’s labors as they raised sheep, wove fabric, and constructed garments. Shoes were often included in the family’s production. Generally, some shoes for daily use were made and repaired on the farm, and finer leather shoes that were reserved for church could be made by traveling shoemakers. Established professional shoemakers made their living in towns and urban areas. Men, women, and children throughout rural Norway wore wooden shoes for their daily farm work. Wooden shoes are especially practical for use in barns and farmyards, and walking through damp fields. There were regional styles such as the ones in southern Norway that have an upturned toe, and the shoes in western Norway that typically come up higher on the instep, much like those more familiar to us from the Netherlands. Other variations included wooden soles
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with a simple strap over the top to hold the shoe on the foot. Wooden shoes were often made on the farms and required specialized tools designed for carving out inside the toe. When shaping these custom-made wooden shoes, the maker sized them to be worn with either knitted stockings or fulled woolen fabric foot wraps. In addition to wood, other materials were used to make practical shoes for farm families. Water-resistant shoes could be woven of birch bark. These were well suited for damp forest surroundings. Also well suited to the cold Norwegian climate were rawhide boots and shoes made from the skin of the lower leg of a cow or reindeer. Simply styled leather shoes or boots with leather soles were occasionally made at home. Whether homemade or purchased from a professional shoemaker, finer leather shoes were reserved for Sundays and more formal occasions. Fashionable European-styled shoes, as could be found in urban areas internationally, were worn by residents of larger towns and cities.
Travel to North America
When Johannes Storseth prepared to immigrate to Washington State in 1887, “He began to make a big box, five feet long, three feet broad, and four feet high. Even with such dimensions, it would contain only the most necessary articles, such as a herring net and a good supply of homespun linen thread . . . several hundred feet of rope to be used for fishing lines, and hooks by the hundreds. For bedclothes he packed a fine fur rug and some fancy woolen blankets, clothes, and shoes enough for many years.”2 Even if extra shoes were brought initially, hard use would require that they continue to be maintained and eventually
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