The Bata Shoe Museum’s Latest Exhibit Focuses on 18th Century Footwear’s Influence in the Age of Enlightenment

The Bata Shoe Museum, which officially reopened last month in Toronto, is kicking off its first show of the season with “The Great Divide: Footwear in the Age of Enlightenment.” The Canadian museum will explore how fashion and footwear, played a central role in defining the 18th century. The exhibition features shoes from around the world that are over 300 years old. “The Great Divide” is the first of three shows the museum plans to open as part of its 25th-anniversary schedule. “Throughout the 18th century, Western fashion, including footwear, was central to the ‘naturalization’ of difference in Europe,” said Elizabeth Semmelhack, the creative director and senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum. “The Great Divide” explores issues of gender and race through the lens of imperialism and colonization. The exhibit features 18th-century artifacts that highlight the complicated histories of privilege, danger and resistance that continue to be timely, 300 years later. An 18th century Indian English women’s sandal from the Bata Shoe Museum’s “The Great Divide: Footwear in the Age of Enlightenment” exhibit. Some highlights of the show include the evolution of the Indian jutti sandal and how it influenced  English footwear during the United Kingdom’s colonial period.  Another memorable pair from the exhibit

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