Shoe Last, Gardiner, Maine, ca. 1830. Maine State Museum. Gift of Lewis J. Sheaffer, 72.166.3.74.
Shoe Last, Gardiner, Maine, ca. 1830. Maine State Museum. Gift of Lewis J. Sheaffer, 72.166.3.74.
A shoemaker used a shoe last to form leather in the shape of a foot. He tacked the leather upper to the last to hold it securely while he pegged or sewed the sole into place.
A shoemaker handmade this shoe last from a log that had insect larvae channels chewed under the bark of the tree. The log served as a stand for the hand-carved wooden shoe last.