American Jobber
Important Antique Smooth Calf over Suede
Spade Sole Cap-Toe Oxford Spectator
Circa: 1920

A museum piece, a design masterpiece and one of the original Spectator shoes from which a century of such shoes derive. The prototype of the two-tone, smooth over suede and a paragon of craftsmanship, this shoe was created with no regard for caution or conventions of the day, and with only the artists willful fantasy as a guide; all in all, a wonderful and very successful foray into the outer limits of the cordwainer’s art.

And art it is; certainly one of the most beautiful and imposing creations ever to grace these pages. The esthetic success of this magnificent achievement is predicated upon the risk taken by the artisan from whose hands and eye these emerged. When one voyages into the unknown, one can easily fall over the edge of the world which, in the case of shoes, is that frontier where the realm ostentation, flamboyance and affectation begins, where many great names have succumbed to the siren song of the marketplace or of the designers crying fashion. The art of this shoemaker was to eschew affectation and every true artist takes us farther than we have ever been but without letting us forget where we began. Today, almost 100 years later, the artisans of our age continue to be inspired by such masterpieces as this….and they are yet to surpass this great ancestor.

This wonderful work of art, no doubt made to order, is a prime example of seminal Amercan shoemaking but, unfortunately, no record remain of the name of the master shoemaker in question, now forever obscured by time.
These shoes are a testament to the claim that well made shoes, properly cared for, last indefinitely. Here is the example, still suitable for practical use, even though, I should hope, only on those occasions that they can be shown and appreciated. In truth, they are destined for the museum, the stage, or the collection of the passionate scholar or aficionado.