Featured old shoe salesman samples ?

odd little charity shop find from this week

thinking they must be old salesman samples ?

one is leather the other solid wood (with a hole)

both 2 1/2 inches

any thoughts appreciated

 

Maybe they are for puppets ? I like odd little bits too.

 

Doll shoe with one of those shaper things?

 

How cute and well made it may be an apprentice piece, made to show his skills!
The wooden one is the form which must go in the shoe, should have a string in the hole in order to pull it out for removal IMO

 

Now why didn't I think of that !

Thanks kyra, does indeed fit

How cool is that

 

I think the wooden one is a shoe last, and the leather, a real shoe..........probably European.

 

I had a pair of the shoes at one time. They had a higher boot. Construction was much the same. Very sturdy and well made. The person I purchased them from said that they came from Europe..........

I just looked to see if I still had them, but I think I must have sold them some time ago. I held onto them for quite a while fascinated by how well they were made and how different they were.

 

Thanks for the info Judy

Be cool if they came with a miniature cobblers anvil as well !

 

A miniature cobblers anvil would display very well with your treasures!

Hopefully you will get more thoughts.

 

I'm with johnny - I think they look like puppet shoes.

 

The leather one's a killer piece,poss 1850's ? That one should whet an antique clothes collectors appetite.
The puppet,doll,kiddies are all fine theories.A salesman's sample from the Beau Brummel era cobbler would of course be the most lucrative-but how the h would you document that ?
PS-Agree w/ Kyra,looks the the wood shoe forms a match,make an interesting little shadowbox display (w/an Ambrotype of a Shoe Model !).

 

Yeah, I was thinking precisely about that age as well bosky

Did have a Georgian/ early Victorian shoe snuff box that looked in the same vein

 

I got the same vibe,Beau Brummel to early Dickensian.

 

They had small feet back i' day...

 

I personally think it's a fairy shoe . Those are both the most adorable, nice find I would have grabbed them too!

 

I like Ms. Beattie's solution-beatitudes to you !