Heart Shaped Heel Plates

[hunting deer]

I recently found a heart shaped heel plate on an old house site. I've found other heart shaped heel plates from time to time and they all came from old house sites, not civil war sites. My point is, I believe heart shaped heel plates were popular on women's foot apparel in times past just because they were. "Not" because they were for working prostitutes! Yes, I'm standing up for the ladies of the past on this one. If you find a heart shaped heel plate and decide to research it, you'll be bombarded with stories of prostitutes following around civil war camps catering to soldiers. Or the same working in frontier towns and wearing them so men would know that they are "ladies of the night." Men following around the heart shaped tracks. It's absurd! It's also disheartening, offensive and demoralizing to women past and present, I believe. Actually, truth be known, they protected the heel from wearing out prematurely. Like I've read in other articles, if you made .50 cents a day and a pair of boots was 4.00 dollars you would definitely want to make them last as long as you could. Plus they came in many designs not just hearts as you all know so well. Me personally, I would not have chosen a heart shaped heel plate but a lady might. With that being said to all the hard working ladies of the past, I salute you.

 

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[ToddsPoint]

I found one on an old house site. Cannonballguy posted pics of some ladies shoes from the 1880s that had those. I think they were fairly common. I’ve seen stars too.

 

[Blackfoot58]

With the prudish/proper outlook of the time period in mind, I would offer the following:

If these were actually widely known as a hooker’s calling card, no housewife, old maid or non-hooker would be caught dead using them.
Red light bulbs never really caught and red lipstick was shunned by many women for the same logic.
If it wasn’t widely known as a hooker thing, then yes, I could see more women using them; ignorance being blissful and all that. I’m just playing on the prosecution’s side to even it up.

 

[VaGent]

I recently found a heart shaped heel plate on an old house site. I've found other heart shaped heel plates from time to time and they all came from old house sites, not civil war sites. My point is, I believe heart shaped heel plates were popular on woman's foot apparel in times past just because they were. "Not" because they were for working prostitutes! Yes, I'm standing up for the ladies of the past on this one. If you find a heart shaped heel plate and decide to research it, you'll be bombarded with stories of prostitutes following around civil war camps catering to soldiers. Or the same working in frontier towns and wearing them so men would know that they are "ladies of the night." Men following around the heart shaped tracks. It's absurd! It's also disheartening, offensive and demoralizing to women past and present, I believe. Actually, truth be known, they protected the heel from wearing out prematurely. Like I've read in other articles, if you made .50 cents a day and a pair of boots was 4.00 dollars you would definitely want to make them last as long as you could. Plus they came in many designs not just hearts as you all know so well. Me personally, I would not have chosen a heart shaped heel plate but a lady might. With that being said to all the hard working ladies of the past, I salute you.

I couldn't agree more. These were common female civilian use items, with no direct implication of prostitution. (Even worse is those who insist these tiny heel plates were used by the Union 24th Corps....)

 

[hunting deer]

I couldn't agree more. These were common female civilian use items, with no direct implication of prostitution. (Even worse is those who insist these tiny heel plates were used by the Union 24th Corps....)

I found one on an old house site. Cannonballguy posted pics of some ladies shoes from the 1880s that had those. I think they were fairly common. I’ve seen stars too.

I know. I've got a three leaf clover hanging from my truck mirror that I like.