We, are the proud owners of a
few antique shoe forms.
Shoes were originally made
one at a time by hand.
Shoemakers or “cordwainers”
produced a range of footwear items.
A “cobbler” would repair
shoes. |
| The shoe forms all lined up |
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A personal favourite is this form for a child's shoe
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| Beautiful hand-made children's shoes |
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| Made with love |
In South Africa, leather is as much part of our lives as is drinking tea and coffee!
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| During the early pioneer days, leather was tanned by tying a large rock to a strong branch of a tree. This was used mainly for the tanning of ropes, which were then used for many different purposes. The ropes would be cut into thinner strips called, "riempies". |
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| More of tanning stones. Thanks to Patricia Strauss for this photo |
An entire cowhide would be cut into strips and cured.
The old trees with their “riem” stone may still be seen in some parts of our country. The tree and stone would be used in the processing of the strips of leather, making the strips ultimately soft and pliable.
For those who do not know what a “riemklip” is, it is a relatively heavy rock to which a handle made from a piece of wood is attached.
The strips of leather are then tied to a branch and to the handle.
A stick is placed through the handle and the strips of leather are then “wound up” or twisted by walking in circles until the strip will no longer twist.
The stick is then removed and the leather strip will unwind and the process is repeated again and again.
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| These riempies were in daily use. A favourite piece of furniture was the "riempies" bench. This particular one is made from Strinkwood. |
Let us get back to the old “cordwainers.”
Men’s shoes were made mostly
from cowhide or game.
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| A sketch by Erich Mayer in 1921 of a farmer making his own shoes. |
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Tools that were used were
nothing special and yet they had their own charm.
This photo was supplied by Julie du Plooy
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A “cordwainer” by the name of
Mr. Jan Olivier once lived and worked in town. His trade was shoes and his workshop
was situated in Warden Street just on the corner with Bester Street.
He was only a boy when he
decided that he would one-day work with leather.
He proved to be no ordinary
shoemaker and with his skill he earned the thanks and respect of great men such
as General Jan Smuts and Sir James Bull.
He was very proud of the fact
that he had been the recipient of a letter from General Jan Smuts. Mr. Olivier
described this letter as, “my most precious possession.” In this letter, which
was written in the Generals’ own hand, General Smuts writes;
“Dear Mr. Olivier.
I thank you most sincerely for the pair of
warm shoes which you sent me and which I will find most useful during the
coming winter.
With my thanks, I send you my
best wishes.
Yours Most Sincerely.
J.C. Smuts.”
Jan felt that he should become
more than just an ordinary shoemaker and so began to study. He would ultimately
receive a certificate from the Orthopedic Institute in Paris (France). He was
no longer just a shoemaker but he was now qualified to make shoes for people
with problematic feet. His shoes were to go all over the Union and even went to
many places overseas.
He made shoes for twelve
years for Sir James Bull the sugar millionaire from Mauritius at 10 guineas a
pair.
He made shoes for both circus
acrobats as well as circus managers and he made dozens of pairs for Mr.
Boswell.
Mr. Olivier’s greatest joy
was to make shoes and slippers and the like from unusual types of skins. His
workshop was no ordinary place. It was filled with skins of crocodiles,
legavaans, pythons, puff adders and carp.
He said that a carp fish made
the nicest leather he knew. His dream was to collect enough carp skins to cover
a travelling suitcase.
The artist Mariaan Kotze has
turned many of the old shoe forms into wonderfully unique pieces of art.
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| Second time around |
Lots of love from South Africa
Sandra
Thank you for all the wonderful friends whom are sharing this story!!!
