New Civil War Boots - Pre-Order Now Open!

It's another pre-order day! I've been trying to go more towards "collections" for Summer and Fall and less all-over-the-place for introducing new shoes for you ladies. With that, I'd like to introduce two new styles for mid-Victorian - "Balmoral" and "Gettysburg" in blue/black.

Gettysburgs you will be familiar with. We first did these cute little side-lace gaiters in brown wool foxed with black leather. It was time to do a new colorway, another popular combo - slate blue and black.

The second style is totally new. They're "Balmoral" Civil War boots in black sateen foxed with black leather. They're a faithful reproduction of a very popular style from the 1860s - so popular that several museum collections have examples, and I even found and purchased two examples online within two weeks of each other. I talk about those original boots and our reproduction in this video:


Pretty as they are, the Balmoral boot for American women was "everyday" footwear. Fabric uppers (cotton, wool) with leather foxing were extremely common and worn for all kinds of outdoor activities, sporting, walking, even working. These would have been worn during the American Civil War by both Northern and Southern women.

Shoe Icons - sateen foxed in leather with metal grommets, stacked leather heel, and surviving rosette

American Duchess Archive - boots, 1860s, black sateen foxed with black leather. Stacked leather heel and leather sole. Rosettes on the vamp was silk ribbon with a small steel buckle.

The Met - boots, 1860-69, wool. There is no foxing on these but the overall design is the same.

American Duchess Archive - boots, 1860s, cotton sateen foxed with black kid, pigskin facing, white canvas lining, stacked leather heel, leather soles.

Just for fun - a pair of bright red sateen and leather Balmoral boots - same design, but somebody was a bit saucy! Originally on eBay from johnsartifactorium - listing no longer available

I'm very proud of our Balmorals! There was quite a bit of back-and-forth with the workshop trying to get the details right, but in the end I feel the boots came out splendidly. For your quick-reference:

"Balmoral" Civil War Boots

• Black cotton sateen foxed in black leather with a white stitch
• Lace-up closure with metal grommets; 3 inch tongue
• Leather soles and leather facing
• White canvas lining and leather insole
• Black stacked heel, 1.5 inch knock-on from an original 1860s shoe.

Pre-Order May 5 - 20
Free Stuff -or- a $10 Discount
and Free Shipping in the USA
www.AmericanDuchess.com