Vintage May be older oak lidded box adorned with Liberty and shoe related signs

Vintage, may be older, oak lidded box adorned with Liberty and shoe related signs. This fabulous unusual and rare box has leather fitted hinges and advertising for Frank Millers shoe blacking, Liberty shoe fashions and Keltic footwear.

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Lots of pencil writing for sole replacement charges etc ( could be removed if desired personally I love it shows it's history) some age related wear fabulous vintage shop display or home decoration

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30 cm wide 21 cm depth 14 cm tall

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Liberty shoe fashions" can refer to either Liberty of London, the famous department store known for its iconic prints used on fashion and footwear, or the Liberty Shoe Company of Leicester, a separate business from the early 20th century that manufactured high-quality women's shoes. Liberty of London is a British luxury department store founded in 1875, renowned for its unique fabrics and artistic collaborations, which have been applied to various fashion items, including shoes, through partnerships with brands like Vans and Manolo Blahnik. The Leicester-based Liberty Shoe Company, meanwhile, was founded in 1918-1919 specifically to produce high-quality women's shoes under the "Liberty" brand.

Liberty of London (Department Store & Prints)

Origin:

Founded by Arthur Lasenby Liberty in 1875 on Regent Street, London, initially as a store for Eastern art, fabrics, and ornaments.

Brand:

The department store is famous for its unique fabric prints, which are a significant part of its identity and are used on a wide range of products.

Footwear Collaborations:

Liberty's iconic floral prints have been used in collaborations with other major brands, such as Vans and Manolo Blahnik, to create distinctive footwear.

Legacy:

Liberty of London remains a significant force in fashion and retail, known for blending historical craftsmanship with contemporary design.

Liberty Shoe Company (Leicester Manufacturer)

Origin: A separate company established in Leicester, England, in 1918-1919.

Purpose: The factory was built to produce a new line of high-quality women's shoes under the "Liberty" brand name.

Demise: The factory building was demolished in 2003.

Note: This was a distinct business from the Liberty of London department store.

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Frank Miller's Shoe Blacking was a popular leather polish and dressing produced by Frank Miller & Co., a New York-based manufacturer founded in the 1860s. The company was prominent in the late 19th century, selling products like "Crown Dressing" and "French Blacking" in distinct glass bottles and widely advertised through trade cards and print ads. The history is primarily documented through antique advertising materials, including lithographed trade cards and display boxes featuring comical and ethnographic imagery.

Key Aspects of Frank Miller's Shoe Blacking

Products: The company sold various shoe blacking products, including "Crown Dressing" and "French Blacking".

Manufacturing: Frank Miller & Co. was a New York-based manufacturer of shoe polish.

Time Period: The brand was popular during the late Victorian era, particularly from the 1870s to the 1890s.

Packaging: Products were sold in distinct, handmade, aqua-colored glass bottles.

Advertising: The brand was advertised using lithographed trade cards featuring various scenes, including young girls with pets and representations of the blacking culture of the era.

Historical Context

Victorian Era Blacking:

The company's prominence aligns with the height of the Victorian era's interest in well-polished shoes and the shoe-shining industry.

Ethnographic Imagery:

Some advertisements featured African American figures in a blacking-related context, reflecting a period when these images were used in commercial advertising.

Company Presence:

Frank Miller & Co. operated through the late 19th century and was a notable manufacturer in Manhattan during that time.

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Celtic footwear history includes simple, practical leather sandals and closed shoes, as well as the more complex, laced ghillie brogues and pam that survived into later periods, designed for everyday wear or challenging terrain like bogs. These designs, often made from a single piece of animal hide, were worn by all social classes, evolving from the ancient Celtic Iron Age through the Middle Ages and into modern times, with variations found in Scotland and Ireland.

Types of Celtic Footwear

Simple Sandals:

Basic, open sandals, often made of leather, were popular across ancient cultures and continued to be worn by rural populations into the Middle Ages.

Closed Leather Shoes:

Practical, everyday shoes of varying complexity, some with elaborately decorated perforations, were common across all Celtic tribes.

Ghillie Brogues:

These tongueless, open leather shoes from Scotland were designed with multiple drain holes for quickly drying in boggy terrain.

Pampooties:

The Irish equivalent of ghillie brogues, these shoes were also worn in bogs, often made from sealskin and surviving from ancient times to the present day.

Design and Functionality

Material: Primarily made from leather or animal hides, such as deer or sealskin.

Construction: Many early forms were made from a single piece of skin laced together, a design known as a "bundschuh" in Germanic languages and adapted from classical times.

Practicality: Shoes were designed to be practical and dry quickly in wet conditions, with long laces to keep them secure.

Survival and Legacy

Bog Shoes:

The simple, practical design of ancient Celtic shoes, especially those found in bogs like those in Ireland, was a precursor to modern footwear.

Ghillies:

The design of the Scottish ghillie is a direct descendant of these ancient bog shoes, a practical solution for navigating wet terrain.

Modern Survival:

The tradition of wearing ghillies and pampooties has survived into the modern era, reflecting their enduring practical design, notes Celtic Nations Magazine.