Summary

This hand made shoe pattern piece is generated from brown paper and was mostly likely used by Stanio Fancoff within the production of his various shoes sometime between the 1930s-1970s. The pattern's distinct 'U' shape suggests it was a combination of toe, vamp and side shoe covering. Amongst many others, this pattern is part of the shoemaking designer kit that enabled Stanio to acquire versatility and different fashions within his shoemaking trade.

Stanio Ivanoff Fancoff was born in 1908 in Bojentsi, a small village in Bulgaria. At age 11, Stanio left home to learn the shoemaking trade. In 1929, he immigrated to Melbourne, settled in Fitzroy and began to work for the V.G. Zemancheff & Sons basket shoe factory in South Melbourne. In1936, he married Dorotea Georgi Touzou who had recently arrived in Australia. Around this time, Stanio set up his own shoemaking business from home, with Georgi, her cousin and sister weaving the shoes which he then assembled. Select shoe samples were then taken to Sydney and Tasmania for sale. In 1942, Georgi and Stanio moved to Broken Hill for Georgi's health; there daughter Nancy was born and Stanio set up a shoe shop/factory. In 1945, Georgi died and by 1950 Stanio and Nancy had moved to Adelaide where he again opened a shoemaking business and shop. He passed away in 1978, having been in the shoemaking business for 59 years. This collection documents his migration and working life experiences.

Physical Description

Generated from brown paper, this stylized 'U' shaped shoe pattern has several pencil markings. Inset approximately 3cm a pencil line mimicks the outer 'U' shaped edge. Set within this new division, pencil dots follow the internal left line, and further inset at approximately 3mm needle point punctures mimic the dots along the left side and maintain this distance along the right inset pencil line. Located within the midway point between lower outer edge and the pencil inset line, a secondary pencil line mimicks the left edgeline finishing at the central vertical creaseline. In addition, the left upper outer edge and lower toe edge each exhibit small pencil lines.

Significance

This collection is significant in documenting a small migrant business as well as the fashion of a particular period. It is well provenanced and charts the application of trade skills in a new country. It also illustrates the stages of hand shoe manufacture from the 1930s, demonstrating the enduring nature of the tools and patterns that were used.

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