shoes

Nothing says Southwestern style like a great pair of cowboy boots! This book from the Costume collection at the National Museum of American History Library gives information on the “anatomy” of a cowboy boot along with descriptions of the different materials used in their manufacture. The author tells a lively history of the bootmaking industry and features a number of well-known bootmakers. The artful photography of Jim Arndt showcases the wide variety and enduring appeal of American cowboy boots.

This marvelous book puts its best foot forward, covering everything from profiles of famous contemporary shoe designers like Manolo Blahnik to historical insights and images of changing fashions in footwear. Platforms, boots, stilettos, sandals, and slippers – this book has them all. Volumes like this in the Costume collection at the National Museum of American History Library help clothing curators study shoes in the museum collections, but they also are used by other researchers to date artworks and photographs based on what the people pictured are wearing.