Southern Ontario Nature and Science Illustrators

Photo: Elizabeth Pratt

There exists a great wealth of fascinating images and artifacts for anyone who takes an interest in the history of footwear.  You might think of the exotic and elegant thongs worn by the ancient Egyptians, or the slippers worn for centuries over the bound feet of Chinese women, or the beautifully crafted hide Muklucks worn by the Arctic aboriginal people or maybe the dainty silk confections worn in court during the eighteenth century.  On the minds of SONSI members who attended the last event were Ghillie Brogues, not the shiny formalized version worn today but a much older version worn by the Celtic highlanders of Scotland.

Member Hall Train was gracious enough not only to let SONSI members back to his studio but also to teach everyone how to make these fascinating shoes.  Using his skills as a designer, illustrator, model-maker, and creative master of materials, Hall was able to recreate a museum quality replica from reference images of an artifact that was pulled out of a bog in Scotland.  Using this new expertise in ancient shoe making Hall was able to guide each member through the process of custom designing the footwear to each foot.  This process is certainly accurate; using the lines and angles of the foot to create each interwoven flap, allowing the single piece of leather (though the paper and foam stages must come first for perfecting the shape) to form perfectly, without gaps or creases, over the foot.  When spread out the pattern looks like a sort of monster or squashed animal, but folded and laced in to place the look is quite elegant. Read more…