GOWROUNOTSARONCHA! How cool is the name of these shoes? “Greek shepherds shoes. Given to me in January 24th 1958 by professor H. Hadjissarantos, Athens. In Greek they are called Gowrounotsaronchas (in Greek letters). They are made of pig or horseskin and were used by the population […]
All posts tagged: shoe collection

In Other Shoes – Faroese Rotiskogvar
Bearing quite a resemblance to these cow skin shoes, this pair of Faroese footwear is a much brighter and colourful version! Wonder if the braided red thread has any special meaning? See what Tuxen wrote in his notes: “Rotiskogvar” from the Faroe Islands. Sewn for […]

In Other Shoes – Mexican Sandals
“Mexican sandals. Given to me on February 22nd 1958 by professor F. Bonet, Mexico D.F. The Spanish-Mexican name for sandals is “huaranches”. The soles are made of leather and the rest are straps, braided in a particular way. On the left sandal there is an […]

In Other Shoes – Japanese Getas
To follow up on last week’s post on wooden Japanese clogs, we here bring you a slightly lighter model – also for men! Or, at least Tuxen seemed to think so: Wooden slippers from Japan – getas. Given to me on October 30th 1957 by Dr. Shinjo […]

In Other Shoes – Japanese Wooden Clogs
Maybe they don’t look like much, but these shoes are actually only to be worn on special occasions. “Japanese Ki-gûtsû, wooden clogs. Given to me February 24th 1958 by Dr. Shinji Suzuki, Tokyo. Big black polished shoes with a flat bottom. Used by the Shintô-priests, […]

In Other Shoes – Spanish Espadrilles
Look familiar? Having become a popular design within fashion trends through recent years, most of us probably recognize these shoes as “espadrilles”. Lovely light summer shoes, however best in sunny weather, as the sole is prone to soak up puddles from rainy weather! Here are Tuxen’s […]

In Other Shoes – Greek Children’s Shoes
These shoes immediately put a smile on my face! So festive! “Greek Children’s shoes. Given to me on January 24th 1958 by dr. H. Hadjissarantos, Athens. In Greek they are called “tsarouchia”. They are made from hard leather, but do not have soles. Black leather […]

In Other Shoes – Serbian Opanci Shoes
Impressive handcraft here offers an example of traditional Serbian footwear – Tuxen’s sparse notes teach us how to pronounce “opanci”: Serbian opanci shoes. Bought for me on October 3rd 1957, in Belgrade for the price of 1400 dinars by officer Johannesen’s wife. These are new and […]

In Other Shoes – Japanese Bast Sandals
Søren L. Tuxen, our shoe collector, did more than just collect the shoes. His passion for shoes powered a curiosity that led him to do extensive research on many of the shoes he collected. Having bought these sandals along from a Copenhagen antiques salesman, along […]

In Other Shoes – Chinese Children’s Shoes
From traditional lotus shoes to these ballerinas, Tuxen’s shoe collection also contained children’s footwear of Asian traditions. Read his notes to learn which insect the shoes are meant to resemble: “Chinese children’s shoes. Bought on September 12th, 1957, by antiques salesman Suude in Copenhagen for 20 Danish […]

In Other Shoes – Icelandic “Rodskor”
Resembling the very first pair of shoes Tuxen collected, Icelandic shoes took up a spacial place in his final collection: Icelandic “rodskor”. Given to me on October 10th, 1957, by Mrs. Gudrun Bjørnsdottir, Reykjavik, who made them for me from a piece of tanned catfish skin. These are coloured […]

In Other Shoes – Chinese foot binding shoes
Did you know that the Chinese tradition of foot binding dates all the way back to the late 13th century? Did you then also know that the last factory producing the so-called lotus shoes to fit the tiny feet didn’t close down until 1999? “Chinese […]