Cowboy Boots
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A Brief History of the Cowboy Boot
By
Jakki Francis
Historically
horsemen have always needed protective footwear as well as preferring boots with
a higher heel. The origin of the cowboy boot that we know today comes from
various boot styles including the Wellington boot, which originated from
Britain's Duke of Wellington. At the time it was a straight plain leather boot
with one-inch heels and straight tops. Cowboys also wore the Hessian boot,
which had a V-cut in the front, and some of these had a silk or leather tassel
hanging down in the V.
The
Coffeyville-style cowboy boots originated in Coffeyville, Kansas around 1870
and were normally black leather with a low Cuban heel. The front of the boot,
known as the "graft", was higher than the back and was usually a
different color. Texas cowboys were known to have a lone star inlaid in the
graft.
Cowboy
boots continued to evolve through the late 1800s and the designs were
influenced by the European cavalier style of boot, which were characterized by
higher heels and better-quality leather.
The
toes of cowboy boots were square or rounded and this did not change to pointed
until the 1950s.
The
straight lines of stitches across the top of the toe of the cowboy boot are
called a toe wrinkle. Boot makers in the early 1900s started to add decorative
stitching on the toes in addition to the wrinkle and these designs became and
have remained to this day the personalized signature of custom-made boots.
In
the 1920s and 1930s cowboy boots became a fashion item as a result of the
movies and radio shows about the Wild West.
After
1940 boot designs became more colorful and intricate incorporating images of the
west such as cacti, eagles, horses and horseshoes.
In
the 1950s when rodeos became a popular form of entertainment and country music
started being heard, the popularity of cowboy boots skyrocketed and millions of
pairs were reportedly being made in all shapes, colors and styles.
After
this the designs of cowboy boots followed the fashions and styles popularized
in the movies - if John Travolta or Tom Cruise wore cowboy boots then those
styles were immediately in demand.
Since
the early 1990s boot makers have become even more adventurous and we are now
seeing styles incorporating studs, conchos, rhinestones and precious stones, no
doubt partly as a result of the interest in line dancing. Of course it is still
possible to buy an attractive plain leather boot.
Part
of the enduring appeal of the cowboy boot is that they can be worn by anyone.
There
is an excellent book that covers everything to do with the cowboy boot called
appropriately The Cowboy Boot Book which you can get from Amazon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright © Jakki Francis,(UK),
2005
This
article is copyrighted. Please feel free to use it in it's entirety including
copyright information and information about the publisher.
Jakki
Francis operates the website www.1st-for-boots.com
For
information and resources on all types of boots.
Buy The Cowboy Boot Book at Amazon
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