Homes, Trades and Games of Long Ago · Drawing 14 of 40
At the shoemaker’s
The 19th century
The shoemaker makes and repairs shoes. He stretches the leather over a wooden foot called a last, then fixes it in place with tiny nails and his hammer.
Look together
Which two tools is the shoemaker holding?
An idea to try
Examine a clean shoe together. Your child points out its sole, opening and fastenings, then explains which part seems hardest to make.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The shoemaker uses a last to shape a shoe. The Répertoire du patrimoine culturel describes lasting pincers made between 1750 and 1850 and excavated in Montréal. Assembly methods vary with the type of shoe. In Québec City, tanneries grew near rues De Saint-Vallier and Arago, where water was available for leather working. In the 1870s, steam-powered machinery helped shoe factories expand in Saint-Roch, employing thousands of people.
The workshop in the drawing links material, tool and finished object. Invite your child to look at a modern shoe: which parts are soft, which ones hold the foot? The shoemaker is imaginary and does not reproduce a documented repair.
Sources and illustration notes (3)
An imaginary craftsperson and workshop; simplified tools, without reproducing a particular repair.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec — Pince à tendre (in French)Shoemaker’s tool dated 1750–1850, found in Montréal; leather stretched over a last, with techniques varying by type of shoe.
- Ville de Québec — Shoe factories and industrialization in Québec CityGrowth of the Saint-Roch shoe factories in the 1870s, thanks to steam engines.
- Ville de Québec — TanneriesTanneries set up near De Saint-Vallier and Arago streets, for access to water.
Page prepared on September 15, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Life in Old Québec to Colour
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