Rijlaars van een rijkostuum c. 1934

These boots, made by Franssen, are crafted from black leather. I wonder who wore these boots? I bet they were a snappy dresser! You can almost hear the sound of them marching. It makes me think about how the clothes we wear change our posture and how we move. Look at the subtle creases and folds in the leather, each one telling a story of wear, movement, and age. They remind me of brushstrokes on a canvas, each mark contributing to the overall narrative. I can imagine Franssen, the maker, carefully selecting the leather, cutting and shaping it with skilled hands, each stitch a deliberate act of creation. The texture invites you to reach out and touch, to feel the history embedded within the material. It makes me wonder what artists of the future will make of our clothes. Clothes, like paintings, are an embodied expression and allow for multiple readings.