Antique Wood Riding Boot Tree

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On offer is a vintage right-foot wooden riding boot tree. It was originally crafted to keep tall leather boots, usually … Read more On offer is a vintage right-foot wooden riding boot tree. It was originally crafted to keep tall leather boots, usually for horseback riding, upright. Boot trees stopped the leather ankles from creasing, cracking, or collapsing. Typically crafted from a dense natural hardwood, they also absorbed sweat and humidity after a ride.
Rather ingeniously, the leg is split into three vertical wedge sections—a design dating back to the late Victorian period and continuing through the interwar period. The center piece acts as a key. Inserting it pushes the outer pieces outward to fill the boot firmly. Flexibility in the foot also assists. The metal ring handle on top serves to allow a person to pull the tight wedge out of the boot. Such heavy iron or brass ring handles on the center block were widely utilized on custom-made bespoke travel sets throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
Whether one is a collector of equestrian gear and antique tools, or simply appreciates a beautifully crafted utilitarian device, this stands alone as rustic decorative piece.
Signature/Maker’s mark: Nonexistent. See less