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:
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