I know what these are but what are they for? Wooden insoles?

These wooden insoles are pretty long-just under 12" and about 4" across at the widest part. They are a full inch thick at the heel and almost 3/4" at the toe. I have seen sandals with wood foot beds and cedar insoles but never anything quite like these. Look awfully uncomfortable. It has been suggested they would be a pattern for a shoemaker. Does anybody have a clue as to what they are? They came in an old shoeshine kit.

 

WAG. Would they have been inserted in Milord's footwear for steadiness in the polishing process?

Carson would know. Or that under footman.

 

I was gonna guess primitive shoe-trees, but... are those holes on the sides?

 

wooden insoles....to increase one height ?

 

I like that, Komo!

 

Or maybe they were attached somehow to the guy's stand or stool such that the dudes place their foot/feet on 'em while getting the polish job?
Like this?

http://ancientpoint.com/inf/73565-rare_antique_shoe_shine_stand.html

 

yes, nail holes on the side.

 

*points up above*

 

I think they may be the bottom of sandals? So not insoles, but the actual bottom of the footwear.

 

I thought that, too, because of the nail holes. But, in spite of their age, they don't show any wear on the soles. Could they be something to use instead of stretchers?

 

http://ancientpoint.com/imgs/a/e/e/v/j/rare_antique_shoe_shine_stand_3_lgw.jpg

 

Maybe they were only used for a little while, or only indoors?

 

Just crazy things. We will put them back into the shoeshine kit and hope someone buys it and they can go crazy wondering how they were used.

 

I think they're patterns rather than pattens.

 

I really thought the idea of a shoe-rest (as part of a shine-chair) fit with the shoe-shine stuff...
An example... http://ancientpoint.com/imgs/a/e/e/v/j/rare_antique_shoe_shine_stand_3_lgw.jpg
The nail holes would fit... it would have been fixed between two metal thingies... unlike the metal one shown, and then removed and tossed into the box when they were closing up shop for a while?

 

It's certainly possible. Cobbler's lasts were most often metal.

 

I forget what they're called, but there are sandals from Africa that are very large. I think they were over-sized to make it easier to walk in the sand?

It came up somewhere in the last couple of years, forget if it was here or on the eBay Antiques board.

 

Cobblers' lasts... I'm learning so many good words and stuff!

 

Here's the thread where the African sandals were discussed...
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/old-flip-flops.4931/#post-68532

After looking at them, though, it doesn't seem like the African ones are ever wood like these soles are, so I assume probably that's not what yours are.

 

I've never seen any, but guys that used to work in steel mills and such have told me about wearing wooden shoes or clogs of some sort in high heat environments. They said they'd put a sort of fireman's suit on and could only stand to do the task for a brief period. The heat of the surface they had to stand on would burn their feet through their boots.

That said, I'm leaning towards a pattern or last application for these. They just sort of reminded me of bringing a board to stand on while working on steel barges in the summer.