Shoemakers Banner, painted by William Capen Jr., Portland, Maine, 1841. Courtesy of the Maine Historical Society.
Shoemakers Banner, painted by William Capen Jr., Portland, Maine, 1841. Courtesy of the Maine Historical Society.
Men working as shoemakers carried this banner in an 1841 parade in Portland, Maine. The Maine Charitable Mechanic Association staged the event to promote the value of mechanics (skilled craftsmen) of a variety of trades.
This shoemaker banner plays on the word "sole" and shows popular boot styles of the early 1840s.