Rare Antique High Cut Fetish Button Boots ca. 1900 - Victorian & Edwardian Collector’s Footwear
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Rare Antique Fetish Button Boots, ca. 1900, Germany or Austria
Exceptional High-Heeled Antique Button Boots with Original Silk Lining and Remarkable Provenance
These extraordinary antique high cut fetish button boots are a rare survival from the late Victorian and Edwardian era, most likely originating from Germany or Austria and dating to approximately 1900. While we confidently place them around the turn of the century, they may have been worn as early as the 1890s and remained in use until about 1910.
At an astonishing 85 cm (33.5 inches) in length, these boots are among the most dramatic examples of women's historic footwear we have encountered. Their elegant silhouette, extremely high shaft, refined craftsmanship, and pronounced heel create a striking visual presence that continues to fascinate collectors, fashion historians, and museums alike.
The fetish boots are constructed as classic button boots, featuring a long row of closely spaced buttons that secured the shaft tightly around the wearer's leg. Anyone who has ever handled such footwear can imagine the daily ritual involved. Putting them on and taking them off would have been a lengthy process, often requiring a specialized button hook and considerable patience.
The Myth and Reality of "Fetish Boots" Around 1900
Today, boots of this type are frequently described as "fetish boots." This modern designation is closely linked to the perception of the 1890s as the "Naughty Nineties," a period associated with changing attitudes toward femininity, fashion, and visual culture.
Although these boots were not necessarily created for explicitly erotic purposes, their dramatic height, close fit, and elegant high heels contributed significantly to the growing cultural symbolism of women's footwear. During the late nineteenth century, artists, photographers, illustrators, and advertisers increasingly portrayed high-heeled boots as symbols of female sophistication, allure, and sexuality.
But these boots were created for explicitly erotic and sexual purposes!
As a result, the high heel gradually became associated not only with elegance and fashion but also with feminine attractiveness and erotic appeal. Many of these cultural associations established around 1900 remain influential in modern Western fashion and popular culture.
It is possible that these boots were worn with elaborate undergarments and period corsetry. Their exceptional height suggests they may have been secured with internal supports, garters, or other period methods of ensuring a close fit. Such interpretations remain speculative, but they illustrate the fascinating social history surrounding extreme and theatrical women's footwear of the era.
Original Construction and Historical Details
A particularly intriguing aspect of these boots is the discovery of German-language newspaper fragments that had been stuffed into the toe areas. Unfortunately, the paper had become extremely brittle over time and disintegrated during removal. The fact that these fragments remained inside the boots for so long strongly suggests that they had not been disturbed for many decades.
The interior is lined with light-colored silk, a luxurious material that has naturally darkened with age and shows expected signs of wear from use. The boots were clearly worn during their lifetime rather than being merely decorative pieces.
Several buttons have been replaced over the years, yet importantly these replacements were made using period buttons, preserving the authentic historic character of the boots.
A small hole measuring approximately 2 cm is present in the leather on one side of one boot. Apart from this minor issue, the leather remains remarkably well preserved.
Another distinctive feature is the attractive scalloped upper edge, a decorative design element often encountered in high-quality Austrian footwear of the period and therefore supporting a possible Austrian attribution.
Condition
Very Good to Excellent Antique Condition
Considering their age of well over one hundred years, these boots survive in a truly remarkable state of preservation. Most comparable examples display significantly heavier wear, structural damage, or extensive losses.
The silk lining exhibits expected age-related darkening and wear, several buttons are period replacements, and one boot has a small hole in the leather. Nevertheless, the overall condition remains exceptional.
We are almost inclined to describe these boots as being in excellent condition, an assessment rarely justified for footwear of this age and fragility.
Measurements
Length: approximately 85 cm (33.5 inches)
Why Collectors Love These Boots
Collectors of antique fetish fashion, Victorian clothing, Edwardian footwear, historical corsetry, museum-quality costume pieces, and rare high-button fetish boots value such examples for their extraordinary combination of craftsmanship, rarity, social history, and visual impact.
Few surviving boots capture the atmosphere of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as vividly as this remarkable pair. They stand as powerful reminders of an era when fashion, femininity, craftsmanship, and cultural imagination intersected in spectacular ways.