Boots

Edwin C. Burt & Co.

ca. 1915 · leather · Costume Institute

The "high button shoe", as exemplified here, is a familiar symbol of the apparel of earlier generations. The button closure had come in and out of style since its initial adoption in the 1830s, but was particularly dominant in the early 1910s. In the 1920s the button boot persisted for dressy wear, but was increasingly considered somewhat old fashioned, and the style had died out by the 1930s. This fine example of men’s button boots includes features typical of the dominant period. They are cut in the Balmoral style with a whole (one-piece) vamp. The leather of the buttoned top is in a contrasting matte finish, producing a spat effect. While a pointed toecap was often seen on earlier boots, by 1910 the straight toecap was universal. These boots bear the label of Burt & Co., a store on Fulton St., Brooklyn.

Artist

Edwin C. Burt & Co.

Date

ca. 1915

Medium

leather

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Frederic G. McMahon in memory of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert C. Halsted, 1975