Women's Boot 'Victoria', by Unknown

Women's Boot 'Victoria', by Unknown

C. Late 19-Early 20th century

Chromolithograph

This print features a highly detailed commercial illustration of a stylish women’s high-top lace-up boot, titled “Damenstiefel ‘Viktoria’” (Women's Boot 'Victoria'). Executed by an anonymous staff illustrator, the design showcases an elegant, two-toned aesthetic featuring a dark leather vamp and counter contrasting with a light-colored suede or canvas shaft. The boot is fitted with a mid-height curved spool heel, decorative front lacing, and a prominent dark bow tied neatly at the top collar. Text along the bottom edge identifies the print as a “Fachliche Beilage zum ‘Schuhmachermeister’” (Technical Supplement to 'The Master Shoemaker') published at Puttkamerstr. 10, Berlin SW 48. Produced during the late Victorian to Edwardian transition period, roughly between 1900 and 1912, the plate is surrounded by an intricate, repeating geometric border that highlights its function as a professional workshop guide.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, specialized trade publications served as an essential lifeline for European craftsmen adapting to a rapidly modernizing consumer market. Trade magazines like Der Schuhmachermeister regularly distributed these high-quality technical supplement plates to independent cobblers and cordwainers. Rather than acting as mere consumer advertisements, these illustrations functioned as accurate design blueprints and stylistic benchmarks. They allowed local masters to reproduce the latest metropolitan fashions, including Berlin or Parisian high-society trends, for their regional clientele. These plates are critically important to fashion historians today because they bridge the gap between traditional bespoke handcraft and industrial mass manufacturing, documenting the precise patterns, heel geometry, and textile combinations that defined the footwear silhouette of the era.

Dimensions: H 9 5/16" x 8 7/16" W 

Condition: Small tear on right side