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18th Century Tied Shoes

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A Hierarchy of 18th century Jewelry

Last updated: Jan 7, 2024

For the first decade or two or the 18th century, tied shoes are fashionable, but then they give way to buckled shoes. Following this transition, even among the working classes, buckled shoes appear more often than tied shoes for most of the 18th century.

Extant tied shoes

Visibly tied shoes in 18th century artwork and illustrations

These examples show how people tied their shoes in the 18th century, rather than listing all of the sketches and drawings where it isn’t clear whether there is a visible buckle at all.

Descriptions of people wearing tied shoes

I’m only finding tied shoes (in text) on boys and men; there are a few women wearing tied shoes in the illustrations above, though, so I can’t conclude that it’s an exclusively male trend.

  • “I found [Henry Neal’s] old Shoes, which were tied with Packthread” (Proceedings of the Old Bailey, December 6, 1732)
  • “a Servant Man named William Finn … he Stole and took with him … long Shoes tied with Strings” (American Weekly Mercury, July 17, 1735)
  • “a Servant Man, named William Jakins … had on when he went away … an old Pair of Shoes tied with Rope Yarn” (Virginia Gazette, May 16, 1755)
  • “an Indian Boy, named Tom … had on when he went away … thick Shoes, tied with Strings” (Connecticut Gazette, April 10, 1762)
  • “[a servant man] named William Price … Had on when he went away … old Shoes tied with Strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, September 13, 1764)
  • “a Negro Man about 30 Years of Age, named Mingo … Had on when he went away … a Pair of Shoes about half worn, tied with leather Strings” (The Boston News-Letter, December 20, 1764
  • “a Servant Man, named Robert Jones … had on, when he went away … Shoes tied with Strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, June 20, 1765)
  • “an Irishman, named John Milighen … had on … a pair of new shoes, tied with thongs” (Pennsylvania Gazette, October 15, 1767)
  • “an English servant man named Joseph Green, a labourer … He had on when he went away … country made shoes tied with leather strings” (Virginia Gazette, February 18, 1768)
  • “an Irish servant boy … had on, when he went away … a pair of shoes, tied with strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, March 31, 1768)
  • “a convict servant man, named Philip Helensord … he carried with him … a pair of Virginia made shoes tied with strings” (Virginia Gazette, April 14, 1768)
  • “convicted servant men … Thomas Good, by trade a miller … country made shoes with strings” (Virginia Gazette, June 16, 1768
  • “a convict servant man named JOHN ROBISON … had on … shoes tied with leather strings” (Virginia Gazette, June 23, 1768)
  • “another servant man, a native of Ireland, named THOMAS DOIL … had on … a new pair of calfskin shoes with straps, but were tied with thongs” (Pennsylvania Gazette, August 18, 1768)
  • “a Scotch servant lad named William Adam … had on when he went away … shoes, with one buckle, and one string.” (Virginia Gazette, September 27, 1770)
  • “a certain EDWARD McCOLGAN … Had on, when he went away … new shoes, one buckled with a broad brass buckle, the other tied with a leather string” (Pennsylvania Gazette, March 7, 1771)
  • “an Irish servant man, named RICHARD GALLAGHER … Had on, when he went away … half soled shoes, tied with thongs or strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, March 21, 1771)
  • “an indentured servant, who calls himself by the name of Royce Davis … wore … a pair of shoes, with the straps turned in, tied with strings” (Connecticut Courant, April 23, 1771)
  • “a convict servant man named SAMUEL BAILEY, by trade a house joiner … he was cloathed when he went away, in … country made shoes tied” (Virginia Gazette, August 1, 1771)
  • “an indented servant lad, named JAMES CARNEY … had on, when he went away … a pair of half-souled shoes, with a piece on one of the heel quarters, and tied with thongs” (Pennsylvania Gazette, October 17, 1771)
  • “an Irishman, lately from Ireland … [who] calls himself in his pass Patrick Machaley … had on, when he went away … old brogues, tied with strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, January 16, 1772)
  • “[an Apprentice named] JOHN WALLER, about fifteen Years of Age … had on, when he went away … Shoes tied with Strings” (Virginia Gazette, March 19, 1772)
  • “an English Convict Servant Man named JOHN BOOKER … His Clothes consisted of … Country Shoes tied with Strings, the Heels and Soles thick nailed” (Virginia Gazette, April 23, 1772
  • “JOHN OSBORN, a Convict imported in the Brickdale … had on … a Pair of Shoes tied with Strings” (Virginia Gazette, October 1, 1772)
  • “an indented servant man, named HANCE ANDREW CHRISTIAN BREMER … had on when he went away … shoes tied with strings, one of them cut on top with an axe about an inch” (Dunlap’s Pennsylvania Packet, February 21, 1774)
  • “James Leighton, born in Cambridgeshire … had on … good shoes, tied with strings … Negro man named Will … had on … good shoes, tied with strings” (Virginia Gazette, November 23, 1775)
  • “a Negro named NEWPORT … had on when he went away … an old pair of Shoes tied with Strings” (Connecticut Gazette, May 16, 1776)
  • “a German Servant MAN, named CONRAD HEIDI … had on when he went away … shoes tied with strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, January 7, 1795)
  • “an indented Servant LAD, named JOHN CONNELL … had on, when he went off … a pair of heavy shoes tied with strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, July 8, 1795
  • “indented German Servants … John Henry Matthias … had on … shoes with ribbons … Henry Daniel Matthias … had on … shoes tied with ribbons, very long quartered” (Pennsylvania Gazette, April 6, 1796)
  • “the following indented servants, viz. John Flaugh … had on, when he went away … a new pair of shoes, tied with thongs” (Pennsylvania Gazette, September 7, 1796
  • “a mulatto man, named BOB … had on … neats leather shoes tied with buckskin strings” (Pennsylvania Gazette, September 21, 1796)