Topic: A scarce little Sowerby boot / bootee to show.

[agincourt17]

A scarce little Sowerby  boot / bootee in purple malachite glass, marked with a bold manufacturer's peacock head inside. It measures a quaint 8.5cm long x 5cm high x 3.5cm wide and weighs 106 grams.
(Permission for the re-use of these images on the GMB granted by Kevin Collins).

I have never come across this pattern of Sowerby boot before, but I believe that it is shown in Libby Yalom’s ‘Shoes of Glass’ (Antique Publishers, revised edition 1998, ISBN 1570800340). Apparently, the boot is listed in ' Miscellaneous ' and is item number 928 on page 200 of the book with a picture of a somewhat darker purple & white slag example than the one shown here, with a description that reads : “Purple / white slag bootee with a mostly stippled surface except for a smooth toe area. It has laces and five lace holes on each side. The heel and sole are hollow. Scarce shoe, also known in crystal. 3 3/8 " long , 2 " high.” Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of that book to refer to for confirmation of the information.

The only other Sowerby boot (as opposed to shoe) that I was previously aware of was their pattern 1990 ‘puss in boot’ paperweight which appears in some versions of their pattern book XI (1885), and has been discussed on the GMB at
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,17898.msg103478.html#msg103478
and
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,54301.msg308013.html#msg308013

Does anyone have photos to show of the bootee in glass or colours other than purple malachite, please?

Does anyone have any more information about the bottee, especially catalogue or pattern book illustrations showing a pattern number, please?

Fred.

[agincourt17]

Now some photos of the bootee in clear glass for comparison with the purple malachite version. The clear bootee has a partial peacock head trademark.

(Permission for the re-use of these images on the GMB granted , once again, by Kevin Collins).

Fred.

[mikenott]

Picked up a pair of these boots recently. Each one is a small boot or bootee with a hollow sole and heel. There are six laceholes on each side of the slightly open tongue, with a very thin lace threaded through each lacehole before trailing down the boot to a thistle shaoped lace aglet. The whole shoe is textured/stippled with the exception of a toecap shaped smooth poished area, the underside of the sole and the hollow inside of the boot. Dimensions and weght as per original post above.

There are no marks on the underside of either boot. One boot interior has a very rippled/ridged base when viewed from above. After much squinting, turning, trying different light angles I managed to find a clear( ?) Sowerby mark. The other has no mark visible, despite my imagination trying to see one!

Just thought I would post this update with some extra commentary/pictures.

[mikenott]

More images

[Paul S.]

well, all we can say is that both Kevin and Mike must have very small feet.            In line with Bernard's original comments, it's again possible that this was a design that Sowerby had found elsewhere, which is why it wasn't Registered  -  certainly I've never seen this in the Board of Trade Archives.
The first example shown in the post by Fred is credited with five lace holes each side, whereas Mike says six, though in other respects the design looks identical  -  if both items came from the same mould, does this difference in the lace holes seems odd?         I've tried counting the holes in the pix, but a tad unreliable as the images aren't clear enough.

Since malachite is green, then perhaps better to describe this colour as purple marbled glass  -  'slag' it definitely isn't.

[mikenott]

My mistake - five lace holes.

[Paul S.]

thanks Mike - appreciate your re-checking.              You obviously had great luck in finding this design  -  particularly finding a pair - well done.

[chopin-liszt]

When you say you have a pair Mike, do you really mean a left one and a right one?
And do they come in my size?  They are really cute.

[mikenott]

Good question and I should have said that they are both for the right foot.

[chopin-liszt]

I'll just have to swap my left foot for a right one. 

Do we know if they are all right footers or were lefts made?