I'm not sure when I took my first tentative baby step(s) but it was probably in the spring of 1939 and I wore the very shoes shown in the above photo. It was only a matter of months before I outgrew them and that was a signal for my mother to promptly send them away to the United States for bronzing, thus preserving them for posterity.
Obviously well worn, the bronzed baby shoes remain just as they were when I last wore them -- complete with broken laces tied together and both keeling slightly outward (the left one more than the right). One even had a ripped seam.
When it comes to sentimental value, few novelty items carry as much weight as bronzed baby shoes. These adorable little pieces of footwear, immortalized in a rich patina, commemorate not only a child’s first steps, but one of the first major accomplishments in the formative years, much to the delight of very proud parents. Actually the monumental occasion may be tied with the first spoken word as the highlight of a child's first dozen or so months of life.
Though the process of bronzing items started around 5,000 years ago, it wasn’t until 1930 when Violet Shinbach noticed a pair of bronzed baby shoes in a department store and inspiration struck. By 1934, her company, the American Bronzing Company, began producing bronzed baby shoes and marketing them as the ultimate keepsake. She went door to door, targeting homes that looked as though they had small children and pitching her product to young mothers. Demand for these novelty items boomed as word-of-mouth traveled. By the 1970s, the American Bronzing Company was bronzing 2,000 pairs of shoes a day.
When it comes to sentimental value, few novelty items carry as much weight as bronzed baby shoes. These adorable little pieces of footwear, immortalized in a rich patina, commemorate not only a child’s first steps, but one of the first major accomplishments in the formative years, much to the delight of very proud parents. Actually the monumental occasion may be tied with the first spoken word as the highlight of a child's first dozen or so months of life.
Though the process of bronzing items started around 5,000 years ago, it wasn’t until 1930 when Violet Shinbach noticed a pair of bronzed baby shoes in a department store and inspiration struck. By 1934, her company, the American Bronzing Company, began producing bronzed baby shoes and marketing them as the ultimate keepsake. She went door to door, targeting homes that looked as though they had small children and pitching her product to young mothers. Demand for these novelty items boomed as word-of-mouth traveled. By the 1970s, the American Bronzing Company was bronzing 2,000 pairs of shoes a day.
It wasn’t how cute the little bronzed baby shoes at the department store were that struck Shinbach; it was the sentiment they embodied. Baby shoes, as I say, lend a nostalgic nod toward a significant childhood event. While all firsts are significant in a child’s life, the first steps mark the beginning of a new era. The moment that first step is made, they’re no longer babies. Bronzing their shoes captured this moment in time and freezes it forever.
Bronzed baby shoes were wildly popular when Shinbach brought the idea to the public, but the excitement of these tiny keepsakes peaked in the 1970s. However, their popularity began to wane. Door-to-door sales and retail catalogs sent by mail carried these novelty items until the 1990s, where they all but became a lost art.
It wasn’t until recently that bronzed baby shoes started making a comeback, in large part due to social media. Parenting groups on Facebook and creative digital marketing of these perfectly Instagrammable little keepsakes, helped revive this sentimental tradition, though it came a little too late for the American Bronzing Company, which closed its doors for good in 2018. However, there are plenty of companies that still provide the service today. And, the popularity is growing, despite the minimalist mindset that seems to have taken over in many homes.
A quick online search revealed several different companies with varying price ranges for the service today. Bronzery charges $65 for a single, unmounted baby shoe to be bronzed. Memories in Bronze charges $130 for a pair of children’s shoes to be bronzed, up to 6″ in length.
The prices can go up from there, as most companies who offer bronzing also offer to plate the mementos in silver or gold as well (at a higher price of course).
Bronzed baby shoes were wildly popular when Shinbach brought the idea to the public, but the excitement of these tiny keepsakes peaked in the 1970s. However, their popularity began to wane. Door-to-door sales and retail catalogs sent by mail carried these novelty items until the 1990s, where they all but became a lost art.
It wasn’t until recently that bronzed baby shoes started making a comeback, in large part due to social media. Parenting groups on Facebook and creative digital marketing of these perfectly Instagrammable little keepsakes, helped revive this sentimental tradition, though it came a little too late for the American Bronzing Company, which closed its doors for good in 2018. However, there are plenty of companies that still provide the service today. And, the popularity is growing, despite the minimalist mindset that seems to have taken over in many homes.
A quick online search revealed several different companies with varying price ranges for the service today. Bronzery charges $65 for a single, unmounted baby shoe to be bronzed. Memories in Bronze charges $130 for a pair of children’s shoes to be bronzed, up to 6″ in length.
The prices can go up from there, as most companies who offer bronzing also offer to plate the mementos in silver or gold as well (at a higher price of course).
I wish I knew how much my mother paid to have my baby shoes bronzed 80 years ago. To me though, they are priceless.
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