I have no idea what happened to the shoes, although they were on display throughout my youth.
A high school friend mentioned her baby shoes had been bronzed too.
My brother, born seven years later, did not have his shoes preserved in metal for prosperity.
Recently, when at an antique fair in Switzerland, I saw a single bronzed baby shoe. The dealer had no idea why. He just knew it was American.
I explained that it had been a fad in the 1940s. He was grateful for the information, even if he was disappointed that I didn't want the shoe.
Many of the shoes were preserved forever by the American Bronzing Company, started in the 1930s by Violet Shinbach. I remember being in many of my friends' houses growing up and seeing their bronzed shoes. Millions were made before the company closed in 2018.
My daughter's (born in 1969) shoes were NOT bronzed.
The process is a multi-step process:
- A special formula stiffens the shoes
- Laces are tied.
- Before electroplating, the shoes are coated.
- They are placed on a plating rack up to four hours.
- A high luster is accomplished by polishing.
- A protective coating is applied.
- The shoes may be mounted on a base or not.
My husband gave me one of those strange looks when I mentioned bronzing the harness. I told him I was kidding.
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