GoldSmith Basketball Shoe from 1934 (1930's)

Origin: The GoldSmith Basketball Shoe originated from the Chuck Taylor All-Star shoe form the 1930's. It has the same characteristics of the shoe like many of the other continuations of the All-Star by other shoe companies. This shoe also had many of the same purposes as the Chuck Taylor all- star. However, this shoe was cheaper than the well- advertised All-Star. This shoe was made in 1930 by the GoldSmith department store in Memphis' Tenessee because of the increased popularity of basketball in the south and the inaccessibility of the All-Star in the south.

Purpose: The affordability of this shoe was new for this shoe compared to other more popular shoes like the All-Star even when this shoe was relatively the same as the other basketball shoes of the time period. The soles were made of rubber and the upper shoe was made of canvas. The patch was also ther eto protect the ankle. The only difference is that most of these shoes were darker than the other basketball shoes because this was the original color of the canvas. The shoe was created to give the south a basketball shoe with the increased popularity of basketball in the south. Because of the inaccessibility and the cost of the Chuck Taylor All- Stars in the south, an alternative was needed and this basketball shoe was the alternative.

Value: This shoe is an expression of this time period because it shows the cost cutting measures that had to be take during the great depression. This shoe cost less than the more popular Chuck Taylor All-Star and because of the great depression, basketball players of any kind searched for a less costly alternative and shoes such as the GoldSmith basketball shoe became more popular. The shoe also shows the fall of big business because of the great depression. The Chuck Taylor All-Star 's lost a lot of their popularity during the 1920's mostly because of the great depression. The shoes that took the place were cheaper alternatives like this shoe. This shoe is the best expression because it clearly shows certain aspect s of the Great Depression with it being cheaper and gaining more popularity than the more costly Chuck Taylor All-Star.

Limitations: The GoldSmith basketball shoe cannot illustrate many of the other problems of the Great Depression. The shoe has no way of showing the poverty and the joblessness of the great depression because it does not show any sudden downfall in any aspect of the shoe. It also does not show the lack of action taken by the government to aid people in the great depression because the shoe, which is an inanimate object, cannot show such a thing. This shoe was a mainstream basketball shoe for the time, with its rubber soles and canvas above. It even had the patch for protection of the ankle. This shoe, however, fails to show the perspectives of the normal people suffering during the great depression of the 30's because it does not show any type of struggle or hardship. 

http://www.dailyfantasysportsnow.com/2013/01/06/basketball-shoe-history-in-pictures/

Chuck Taylor All-Star from 1921 (1920's)

Origin: This is the almost the shoe as the Converse All-Star from the 1910's. It was made in the same company, Converse, and in the same factory in Malden, Massachusetts. This shoe is the same exact shoe as the Converse All-Star from the 1910 except for the fact that it was sponsored by Chuck Taylor during this time period. Production for this shoe started in 1921 when Chuck Taylor started sponsoring the shoe.

Purpose: There was not much that was new about the Chuck Taylor All-Star compared to the 1917 All-Star. The soles were rubber and were meant for more grip on gyms. The upper shoe was made of canvas was meant to make the shoe lighter and the patch was made to "protect the ankle". However, there were differences with this shoe. Firstly, the rubber sole was made to play in both indoor and outdoor games. Secondly, this shoe was extremely popular. It was specifically the most popular shoe for basketball players. This was because of their new sponsor, Chuck Taylor. Chuck Taylor was an professional basketball player who sponsored the shoe in high schools and colleges. This sent the popularity of the shoe to new heights. This shoe was created to have a shoe that was specific to basketball. There were other basketball shoes. However, this was the first basketball ball shoe specific to basketball that was used as a regular shoe.

Value: Although the Chuck Taylor All-Star was not very different from the original Converse All-Star, it was different enough to be a definition of this decade. During the "Roaring 20's", consumerism became a big part of the United States because of the industrial boom. More products were being sold and bought. The sponsorship by Chuck Taylor had so many of these shoes sold over the decade. They were by far the most popular shoe in basketball. This shows how consumerism in the 20's affected the shoe. This is the best expression of the time period because it was such a good example of the consumerism.

Limitations: This item cannot tell us about all the other things that had happened during the "Roaring 20's". It cannot tell us about prohibition in any way during the 20's and it cannot tell us anything about the Great Migration or the Harlem Renaissance because it does not show us anything about change. This product showed that a lot of things stayed sort of the same in the shoes of basketball and the sport of basketball itself and this is not true for the rest of the country. This shoe also was good 

for the sort of basketball and this was not true for he country, especially with the Great Depression.

http://chucksconnection.com/history1.html

Item 2: First Converse All-Star Shoe from 1917 (The 1910's)

Origin: In 1917, the production of this shoe was started by the Converse Rubber Shoe Company and the shoe was the first shoe to be especially made for basketball. It was made because of the need for a shoe specific to basketball from increasing popularity of the sport of basketball. In the past, basketball players used athletic shoes that were made for all sporting activities. The idea of an athletic shoe was that it should be made to play sports in. The athletic shoe from the 1900’s was thought to be slightly lighter than a normal shoe. The Converse All-star basketball shoe was even lighter. As for the shoe’s background, The Converse Rubber Shoe Company was started in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts which is near Springfield, the town where basketball was invented. It seems as if the location of the company set up for the production of the Converse All-Star.

Purpose: The Converse All-Star was made to be lighter than other athletic shoes that were used in basketball. Instead of the shoe being made of all leather, the sole was made of rubber and the upper part of the shoe was made of canvas. The rubber sole was more comfortable for sprinting during a basketball game compared to a hard leather sole and the canvas was a lot lighter than the leather. It also allowed for more air circulation for feet than the leather did. Basketball was being played more in indoor, hardwood gyms than in blacktops outside. This meant that durability was not really a critical factor in the shoe and grip was more of a factor. The rubber sole was not as durable as the hard leather. However, the rubber sole offered more grip on the hardwood than the hard leather did. The Converse All-Star symbolized what was new about the sport of basketball in the 1910’s. The shoe was created to make a shoe that was specific to the sport of basketball which had a drastic increase of popularity during the 1910’s.

Value: World War 1 was a big part of this decade and the world war lead to many changes during and after the war. Even though this was before the “Roaring Twenties” there had been some changes in society during this time period. The Converse All-Star is an expression of this in which it symbolizes the major changes of this society, in both basketball and other areas of society, because it itself is a huge change from the athletic shoes that were used in basketball in the 1900’s. They are different in both appearance and purpose. It also serves as the base for many of the later basketball shoes. This is true for many of the changes in society in the 1910’s. The Converse All-Star also expresses the values and concerns of this time period for the same reasons. There were many reasons from change during this time period and the shoe represents that.  This is one of the best expressions of what was happening during the 1910’s because the shoe is a change from the shoes used in basketball from the period before. This represents some of the changes in areas of society like women’s rights in the 1910’s. Other events, people, or things do not symbolize this change in society like the shoes do unless the producers, people, or events were direct parts of changes like women’s rights.

Limitations: The Converse All-Star does not really show what was happening during this time period in which it does not show what was directly happening in relation to the war. It symbolizes the changes that came from the war but not what was directly happening n the war. It also does not show the lack of change in ideas in many areas of society during the 1910’s. It shows complete change from the athletic shoe from the 1900’s, not a lack of. This item was an unusual shoe when it first came out in 1917 because a shoe like this was not made before and indoor basketball had only started. It was not as popular as the outdoor basketball games. This made this shoe quite odd and it was not very popular at first. This shoe represents the changes in particular areas of society in the 1910’s but t does not show how society was similar to the 1900’s in the 1910’s.

Sources:

http://www.chucksconnection.com/articles/chuck-taylors-an-all-star-since-1917.html

http://www.sneakerfiles.com/converse-chuck-taylor/converse-all-star/

 

Item 1: Athletic Shoe from 1903 (The 1900's)

Origin:  This shoe was made in or originated from normal shoe factories of the 1900's ( this was a common shoe in this decade). It originated from the need to make new shoes for all of the new sports that were gaining popularity, including basketball. In the past, or late 19th century, most shoes that were made were made almost completely from leather. This was because leather was a very comfortable material and durable material. That was how this is shoe had leather. Hard leather soles were also used in the late 19th century and those carried on to these shoes. The background of this type of shoe was a common shoe in the early 1900's because of the increase in need for shoes that were especially made or athletics. However, the shoe was not made to be completely different from normal shoes. Only the design was changed a little bit.

Purpose: What was new about the leather athletic shoe was that it was one of the first shoes that were especially made for athletics. It's design was also particularly new because it was shaped for more movement and less wear and tear. Other than that, there was not much that was new about the shoe. It was relatively the same as shoes before. It was all leather or almost all leather  like shoes from the near past because shoes that were all leather were thought to be more durable and comfortable. The laces were also not very important because they were just laces. These were just made from leftover solid material like leftover leather that needed to be used. This was the same for shoes in the late 19th century. This shoe was created for the sole purpose for having a shoe specific to athletics and to have a normal shoe that was more sleek and easier to maneuver in which was needed in basketball and other sports. This shoe influenced basketball and other sports in the early 1900's by offering a shoe that was specific for athletic use and this may have helped the popularity of basketball and other sports by making sports themselves mere specialized.

Value: This shoe is an expression of this time period because during the early 1900's, there was not much that was different from the late 19th century. There was still much that was the same. Basketball was invented in the late 19th century and by the 1900's not much about basketball had changed. These shoes were an expression of this because other than the fact that these shoes were specifically made for athletics, they were not very different from normal shoes of this time period or even normal shoes in the ate 19th century. They were still all leather like those shoes. It expresses the values of this time period because the shoe is relatively the same as the shoes from the time period before which was also the same for many other things and values of this time period. The were concerns that values and things were to change in this time period and this shoe expresses that by showing the ask of change from shoes before. This shoe is one of the best expressions of this time period compared to others because it symbolizes what was actually going on during this time period. There were, however, some changes from the time period before.

Limitations: There are many limitations to this piece. This can generally express what was happening during the time period and what was happening during the time period in athletics. However, this does not specifically express what was happening on a multitude of areas. For example, this shoe des not express what was happening in musical and visual art, politics, and business. There may have been major changes in society during this time period and this shoe may not highlight those changes. This item was mainstream during the 1900's because it symbolized the lack of change during the 1900's, in both society and shoes. As a shoe, it was Al leather like other shoes from the time period and the time period before and for society in general, many people still followed the same values in the 1900's as they did in the 1890's. It is a general description of what was happening in the time period through a shoe.

Sources:
http://basketball.epicsports.com/basketball-shoe-history.html
http://www.ehow.com/about_6468569_history-basketball-shoe.html