This pair of beaded moccasins featured in the Shoe and Leather Fair, Islington, 1895 and the Bethnal Green Museum Shoe Exhibition, London, England in 1897. This type of soft, flexible shoe was everyday wear for the Woodland Cree people of Canada and was perfect for moving silently through the forest when hunting. The women processed animal skins such as caribou into leather and made them into items such as shoes, leggings and dresses. In cold weather, moccasins were padded with moss for warmth, and an overshoe was attached for walking through snow in winter.

The moccasins come from an important collection of footwear and shoemaking objects thought to have been initiated by the London shoemaker, Robert Dixon Box, and consolidated by his son, Joseph Box and the Box Kingham family during the second half of the 1800s. The collection ranges from remnants of leather shoes from the Middle Ages found in English archaeological sites, to intact European shoes from the 1600s onwards, 'foreign' shoes collected as 'curiosities' from around the world, shoe buckles, spurs and snuff boxes, as well as company documents relating to Joseph Box Ltd.

The Joseph Box shoe company was an important London shoemaking business established in 1808 by a 'ladies shoemaker' called James Sly. From 1816 Sly's apprentice was Robert Dixon Box, the fifteen-year-old son of a bankrupted Quaker attorney. Box became manager of the business when Sly died in 1826, subsequently attaining a reputation for fine shoemaking through participation at international exhibitions and by obtaining Royal Warrants. The business became known as Joseph Box Ltd in 1862 after it was transferred to Robert's son, Joseph. Like his father, Joseph started in the trade at the age of 15, but retired at the relatively early age of 42 to enable his daughters to enter society. Although he transferred the business to his cousins the Box Kinghams in 1882, Joseph maintained an active interest in shoemaking through collecting. Some of the shoes in the collection feature a remarkable 20 stitches to the centimetre exemplifying the attention to detail and quality of workmanship Joseph Box shoes became renowned for. At the end of the century the business was later taken over by royal shoemakers Gundry & Sons, which was itself taken over by John Lobb Ltd some time after 1953.

The Joseph Box collection provides a unique insight into footwear history, demonstrating how changes in contemporary attitudes, needs and etiquette directly affected shoe design. It also reveals the fine skills of shoemakers as well as the impact of scientific developments and technological innovations on the materials and construction methods.

Reference:
Mitchell, Louise, with Lindie Ward, 'Stepping out: three centuries of shoes', Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney, 1997
http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/north.html#cree
http://www.aurora-inn.mb.ca/culturef.html

This pair of moccasins made in around 1845-1855 was possibly produced for or by the Woodland Cree first nation people in Canada. See June Swann notes in object file.

Frank Kodras 13/1/2011
The moccasins are of Iroquois origin. Moccasins like these and whole slew of other items were made for the early tourist industry and therefore are classified as souvenir art. They where sold by independent vendors as well as natives themselves around the famous tourist attractions such as the Niagara Falls. They were sold at various exhibitions, different fairs and early railway stations. This is one of the main reasons why they were ignored and overlooked by the early museum collectors. Material such as steel needles, threads, beads, cloth, ribbons and etc. came from the European fur trade which started in late 17th century, one of the best known trading companies is the Hudson Bay Company.
The leather used is most likely a deer hide buckskin or also know as a braintan, judging by the colour it might be maple smoked. No caribou or caribou hunting in this region. The raised beadwork is typically done over a paper stencil or rather paper cut-out, this is very characteristic of Iroquois beadwork style. There might be a possibility that the wide, somewhat rounded moccasin vamp shapes might indicate the gender of the wearer as a male, the pointed vamps female.
The Iroquois Confederacy is made up six groups.( Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tascarora).
Frank Kodras 13/1/2011

This pair of moccasins would have been worn as outdoor wear. It featured as exhibit number 66 at the Shoe and Leather Fair, Islington, 1895 and number 176 in the Bethnal Green Museum Shoe Exhibition, London, England in 1897. Described as: 'Moccasins, a pair; made of soft leather and red flannel, ornamented at the tops with patterns worked in white beads and with bands of silk. North American. Box collection'.

The moccasins are part of the Museum's significant Joseph Box collection.Joseph Box Ltd had its origins in a London shoemaking business established in 1808 by a 'ladies shoemaker' called James Sly. From 1816 Sly's apprentice was Robert Dixon Box, the fifteen-year-old son of a bankrupted Quaker attorney. Box was to become manager of the business when Sly died in 1826, and gained a reputation for fine shoemaking through its participation at international exhibitions and by obtaining Royal Warrants. The business became known as Joseph Box Ltd in 1862 after it was transferred to Robert's son, Joseph. Like his father, Joseph started in the trade at the age of 15, but retired at the relatively early age of 42 to enable his daughters to enter society. Although he transferred the business to his cousins the Box Kinghams in 1882, Joseph maintained an active interest in shoemaking through collecting. At the end of the century the business was later taken over by royal shoemakers Gundry & Sons, which was itself taken over by John Lobb Ltd some time after 1953.

The collection acquired by the Museum in 1942 was probably started by Robert Dixon and consolidated by Joseph Box and the Box Kinghams during the second half of the 1800s. It includes remnants of leather shoes from the Middle Ages found in English archaeological sites, intact European shoes from the 1600s onwards, 'foreign' shoes collected as 'curiosities' from around the world, shoe buckles and spurs, as well as documents relating to Joseph Box Ltd.

Footwear scholar, June Swann, former Keeper of the Boot and Shoe Collection at the Northampton Museum in England was invited to catalogue this very significant collection in 1993. A large selection was subsequently featured in the Museum's 1997 exhibition and accompanying publication 'Stepping out: three centuries of shoes'.

REF:
Mitchell, Louise, with Lindie Ward, 'Stepping out: three centuries of shoes', Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney, 1997
http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/north.html#cree
http://www.aurora-inn.mb.ca/culturef.html

Moccasins, pair, womens, beads / leather / wool / silk, made by [Woodland Cree people], Canada, 1845-1855

Womens pair of straight tie moccasins constructed by gathering the toe onto apron. Moccasins consist of a one piece leather sole and sides gathered across the toe into a red stroud apron which is decorated with two applied olive green silk bands and white beaded arrangements. Shoes feature a blunt pointed toe and on either side is a red wool collar which is not joined at the back and trimmed with scalloped blue silk bands and olive green silk edges. A pair of leather thongs tie over the instep and a leather lace threads through a loop at the centre of the throat and a loop on either side. Soles feature an inverted T-back seam with square cut edge trailer.

Made: Canada; 1825 - 1875

Made: London, England; 1825 - 1875


Used: Bethnal Green Museum; London, England; 1890 - 1900

On the sole of both shoes is a Joseph Box collection label printed in black text on paper. It reads, 'From JOSEPH BOX, / BOOT MAKER BY SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS TO / H.R.H. THE PRINCESS OF WALES, / H.I.H. THE CROWN PRINCESS OF GERMANY, AND / H.R.H. THE PRINCESS LOUIS OF HESSE, / 187 REGENT STREET, LONDON. Established 1808'

Printed in black text on the corner label of one of the shoes is also the number '176' and both shoes have the number '66' handwritten onto the label, which is perpendicular to the main text.

H4448-1001

1825 - 1875

60 mm

90 mm