The Armour Archive

Okay, after perusing the 740 shoe merchants at war, and finding everything from utterly non-period drek selling for ridiculous amounts of money, to drop dead gorgeous period footwear, also selling for more money than I had to spend, I have decided to make my own.

Don't get me wrong.. Bohemond, Revival, etc, had gorgeous boots. But not that I could afford. And not _QUITE_ right for the impression I want. (But at least they weren't green and purple, with skull buckles and stainless plates in the shins!)

Anywho.. I want ca. 1530 german high boots. I'm _assuming_ they'd probably be square toed, much like the Kumhauls, and I know I've seen them in illustrations, but I'll be damned if I can REMEMBER what illustrations.

(Knight, Death, Devil, maybe?)

So.. if anyone can remember seeing them, and where, it'd be _GREATLY_ appreciated.

I have the leather, the tools, and the basic shoe instructions.. just need a visual to pattern from!

Thanks guys! Short of the shoes, I think I had the impression pretty well down this year, and most of it is the Archive's fault.

(When I walk into camp, and one of the pickiest people I know says "Dude.. other than the sunglasses.. YEAH!" it makes me very, very happy)

I'll see what I've got in my archive o' woodcuts.

In the mean time, the Mary Rose book has patterns for tall boots in it. English, not German, and about 15-20 years late for you, but that just means that the fashions in England should be catching up to the continent of 25 years ago by then...

Just looked at K, D, Devil by Durer. Can't tell if that's tall tops to the shoes pushed down or hose.. though I'd think the hose would be under the 3/4 legs, not rolled down leaving bare skin, which leads me to believe those are high boots.

But the toes look like they are a three-piece construction.. one piece on either side, with a top-strap sewn down the center. Hmmm.

They would have a more rounded toe.

"The Knight, Death, and the Devil" uses a Drurer watercolour and ink of a Nuremburg LIght Cavalryman, dated 1498, as the model for the Knight.

And those are definitely riding boots - akin to mid 15th century examples, basically, they *are* soft leather thigh high hose, with shoe bottoms.

Shoes were starting to round at the toe by the 1530's, but I suspect that you could still find some folks using the somewhat older fashion still. And of course Chef is right, the "boots" of the day were very, very soft leather, and could easily cram down around the ankles. If you check out the woodcuts from The Triumph of Maximilian, you'll find many examples of such boots crammed down over the ankles, which is pretty much in exact opposition to what someone 75 years earlier or later would have done. That was a fashion among horsemen: I have no idea as to what a dismounted man would have done with his boots, other than probably take them off and replace them with shoes when he could.

Cheers!

Gordon

Why boots rather than shoes? Why tall boots rather than ankle-height boots? Are there any illustrations of Landesknechts on foot wearing tall boots rather than shoes?

Because I like boots better. Because I have 3/4 harness. And I see illustrations of the high boots on folks, in about the period I'm aiming for.

I have the shoes on the way. For wet weather, I like boots.

I'd say to start looking in the Augsburger Monatsbilder (1530s), especially the autumn and winter section.