Boot jack

1925-1960

Measurements

2-5/8 in x 19-1/2 in x 5-7/8 in

Materials

Hard pine

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation

Accession Number

1964.194

Provenance

The boot jack was purchased by Winterthur from Minnie Thomas of McDonough, Delaware.

Comments

The boot jack is made from a reused piece of hard or yellow pine that shows circular saw marks on the underside.  The V cut to grasp the heel of a boot is asymmetrical and visibly crude in its execution.  The end of the board and the block of wood that props up the board are noticeably misaligned (i.e., not perpendicular to a center line).  
These obvious signs of handwork were probably intended to suggest age, but they are not characteristic of early handwork, no matter how simple the object.

The entire boot jack has a brown stain applied to the top and all sides, which hides any recent cutting of the wood. The underside lacks oxidation.