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