About Shoe Shine History
Shoe shining is the process of applying an external substance to the surface of a shoe to improve the material and make it shinier. Shoe shining has been a part of shoe care for hundreds of years. Adding a shine to a shoe brings polish to an outfit. The history of shoe shining and shoe polish is long and still changing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Shoe Shine Materials
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Before 1900, shoe polish was made from ashes, tallow and wax. Shoe polish made after 1900 is considered a colloidal emulsion because it is made from a mixture of different liquids and suspended solids. Some of the ingredients found in modern shoe polish include carbon dye, lanolin, wax, gum arabic, turpentine and naphtha. These materials allow the shoe polish to stay in liquid form while inside the can, but dry readily once air reaches the polish.
Before 1800
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In medieval times, a mixture of soda ash, tallow, wax and oil was used to soften and condition leather and to make it waterproof. Shine was first added to polish around the 1700s, with the addition of shiny blacking, which was a form of black dye added to tallow.
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1800s
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The 1800s saw an infusion of street corner shoe shiners. The 1800s also brought about factory production of shoe shining products. Young boys and African American slaves took on a large part of the shoe shining industry in America. Consumers started to polish other items besides boots and shoes, including gun holsters and belts.
1900s
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Modern shoe shining starting around 1906, with the commercialization of shoe shining. This is when William Ramsay first started manufacturing and selling a shoe polish he called Kiwi. Modern polishes are a variation on the original polish ingredients and compositions. During WWI and WWII, shoe polish became a high-demand item because of all of the boots used during the wars. Up until the 1960s and 1970s, shoe polish was a high demand item. Kiwi created an international brand, known as Kiwi International, to unite all of the separate Kiwi brands.
Modern Market
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After the 1960s and 1970s, the demand for shoe polish and shoe shining fell. According to Absolute Astronomy, the demand for shoe polish has declined since 1970, due to the higher demand for sneakers as daily footwear. Now shoe shining is largely restricted to airports and luxury environments, and shoe polish for home use can be purchased in almost every store.
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References
- Photo Credit boots,cigarettes and a lighter image by Dmitri MIkitenko from Fotolia.com
