When Charles I. first met his future wife at Dover, he seemed surprised to find her so tall, and, having made some remark to that effect, she answered him as follows: “Sire, I stand upon my own feet. I have no help of art. Thus high I am; I am neither higher or lower,” wishing him to understand, it seems, that her fine stature was not due to artificial means.
Fig. [15] represents a highly ornamented clog of this period, while Figure [19] shows another style of Venetian pattern.
Fig. 28.
Fig. 29.
Fig. 30.
On page 13 we have two shoes from Africa, Figs. [21 and 22.] The first, of yellow leather, is quite simple in design, but the latter is more elaborate in decoration. Fig. [24] shows an Indian shoe, while Fig. [23] is a Persian boot, whose pointed front is supposed to have been designed for the purpose of preventing the wearer from kicking up the dust, so unpleasant in hot countries.
In France the clothing of the foot has always been a subject of special consideration, and many have been the styles that have emanated from there. Among the first was the long pointed shoe, called the poulaine (Fig. [25]), in England named crakowes. (This name, poulaine, seems to indicate that the fashion came from Poland, though the pointed shoe is supposed to be of Eastern origin.) These shoes grew both in favor and length, for a number of years, until the poulaine had reached such proportions that it was necessary to fasten it to the knee by means of a chain of gold or silver, while in order to keep it in shape it had to be stuffed with hay, straw, or fine moss. The length of the poulaine was determined in the same manner as the height of the chapineys, by the rank of the wearer, and it was no uncommon sight to find a nobleman with his poulaine some twelve inches or more in extent, while the upper part of his shoes would be cut out to imitate the windows of a church.