Shoe last

1800-1900

Measurements

2-1/2 in x 7-1/4 in x 2 in

Materials

Unidentified wood

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, bequest of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1968.903

Inscription

An “X” is incised into the top of the last.

Condition Notes

The shoe last as a darkened surface, suggesting that it may have been in a very dirty environment for many years.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

Shoe lasts provided cordwainers (shoemakers) with a model of an individual’ foot from which to fashion a shoe.  Lasts for each foot were necessary to determine its proper shape and size.  Lasts were carved from solid blocks of wood and kept by the cordwainer for future use.  The small size of this last suggests that it was made for a child or a young woman.  It appears to be of a left foot.  

A hole drilled through the top of the heel allows a string or other cord to be threaded through it to tie the last to its mate.  There is little information embedded in a shoe last that helps identify where, when, and for whom it was made.