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27:
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often use lasts that are specifically designed to the proportions of individual customers' feet. Made from wood or from various modern materials, they don't need to withstand the pressures of mass production machinery, but they must be able to handle constant tacking and pinning and the wet
93:, and high-density plastics—to withstand contact with wetted leather and the strong forces involved in reshaping it. Since the early 19th century, lasts typically come in pairs to match the separate shapes of the right and left feet. The development of an automated lasting machine by the
302:. Though a last is typically made to approximate the shape of a human foot, the precise shape is tailored to the kind of footwear being made. For example, boot lasts typically hug the instep for a close fit. Modern last shapes are now usually designed with dedicated
317:, and high-density plastics to maintain their shape even after prolonged use in contact with materials like wetted leather and under the mechanical stresses necessary to stretch and shape the material for shoes. Factory lasts must be able to hold the
226:, a single last was used to make shoes for either foot, with the expectation that use would gradually reshape the shoe as needed. The use of such "straights" was particularly important after the rise of both
325:(HMW-HDPE), which can be easily, cheaply, and precisely shaped; which withstand more damage from the tacks before requiring repair or replacement; and which can be
69:. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations include simple one-size lasts used for repairing
321:
that position the parts of the shoe and then handle the force of the pullover machines used to bottom the shoe and add the sole. The usual material now is
237:
in the early 19th century that lasts were again generally made and used in matching pairs. Generic one-size lasts are now only used for basic shoe repair.
414:
295:
402:
290:. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations include simple uniform lasts for
249:
630:
230:
214:—have been found to have shaped some footwear separately for the right and left foot, this distinction was mostly lost following the
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278:
in 1883. This instantly centralized production, increased production by as much as 14 times, improved quality, and halved prices.
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329:
once they finally do wear out entirely. Wooden lasts are now used only for repair work and bespoke shoemaking, particularly in
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arranged around central workshops but each step of production still required skilled labor. Attempts at mechanization in
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made shoemaking more complicated than previously. It was not until the beginning of industrial production and
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Matzeliger's lasting machine, complex enough the patent office had to send an agent to
105:
772:"Mechanization and Work in the American Shoe Industry: Lynn, Massachusetts, 1852–1883"
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to suit it for work in leather took until 1850 and the major breakthrough was the
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78:
658:"History of Shoemaking in Britain—Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution"
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were partial and proved uneconomical after demobilization. Improvements to the
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environment associated with stretching and shaping materials such as leather.
104:, immediately improving quality, halving prices, and eliminating the previous
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664:, Shugborough: Staffordshire County Museum, 9 December 2010, archived from
647:, Shugborough: Staffordshire County Museum, 9 December 2010, archived from
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244:, shoe production was optimized by elaborate division of labor in
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708:
Dictionnaire
Etymologique des Anglicismes et des Américanismes
366:
535:
66:
662:
645:
713:
Etymological
Dictionary of Anglicisms and Americanisms
547:
513:
511:
222:. Upon the return of commercial shoemaking during the
641:"History of Shoemaking in Britain—Tudors and Stuarts"
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577:
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77:, custom-purpose mechanized lasts used in modern
863:
691:
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138:and intending a track, a trace, or a footprint.
523:
496:
81:, and custom-made lasts used in the making of
692:Cutter, William Richard; et al. (2021),
146:
634:(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
164:
155:
751:Handbook of Footwear Design and Manufacture
673:
553:
811:From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic
286:A last is a mechanical form shaped like a
38:Wooden lasts in a shoemaker's workshop in
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748:Luximon, Ameersing; et al. (2013).
730:
565:
517:
344:
187:
176:
100:in the 1880s was a major development in
33:
25:
16:Mechanical form shaped like a human foot
770:Mulligan, William H. Jr. (March 1981).
682:, Adscape International, archived from
864:
294:, custom-purpose mechanized lasts for
807:
786:: Cambridge University Press: 59–63.
704:
486:
470:
674:Chamberlain, Gaius (23 March 2012),
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639:
529:
502:
814:. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
85:. Lasts are made of firm materials—
53:is a mechanical form shaped like a
13:
14:
883:
831:
323:high-density polyethylene plastic
65:in the manufacture and repair of
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613:
425:
413:
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389:
108:surrounding shoemaking centers.
776:The Journal of Economic History
605:
420:Replaceable metal last on stand
340:
309:Lasts are typically made from
274:'s automated lasting machine,
1:
858:(shoemakingcoursesonline.com)
453:
680:Black Inventor Online Museum
458:
298:, and custom-made lasts for
126:is thought to derive from a
7:
441:
10:
888:
379:
172:
18:
808:Ringe, Donald A. (2017).
792:10.1017/S0022050700042753
733:"No. 522: Jan Matzeliger"
731:Lienhard, Jan H. (2000),
705:Kurtz, Jean-Paul (2014).
281:
737:Engines of Our Ingenuity
715:]. Books on Demand.
593:Luximon & al. (2013)
631:Encyclopædia Britannica
542:Cutter & al. (2021)
113:
30:A pair of wooden lasts.
852:(lastmakingschool.com)
396:A pair of wooden lasts
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349:The personal lasts of
197:
196:to see it in operation
185:
165:
156:
147:
46:
31:
850:History of lastmaking
845:at Wikimedia Commons
741:University of Houston
694:"John Brooks Nichols"
408:Tripartite metal last
348:
242:Industrial Revolution
228:male and female heels
191:
180:
37:
29:
21:Last (disambiguation)
856:What is a shoe last?
754:. Elsevier Science.
434:Marikina Shoe Museum
272:Jan Ernst Matzeliger
254:Marc Isambard Brunel
182:Jan Ernst Matzeliger
98:Jan Ernst Matzeliger
19:For other uses, see
246:putting-out systems
231:in the 17th century
216:barbarian invasions
106:putting-out systems
95:Surinamese-American
554:Chamberlain (2012)
370:
198:
186:
47:
32:
841:Media related to
821:978-0-19-879258-1
761:978-0-85709-879-5
581:, 11th ed. (1911)
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57:. It is used by
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240:Well into the
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686:on 2012-02-19
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606:Bibliography
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487:Kurtz (2014)
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471:Ringe (2017)
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341:Custom lasts
308:
304:CAD software
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739:, Houston:
530:SCM (2010b)
503:SCM (2010a)
373:Cordwainers
355:Ava Gardner
292:shoe repair
256:during the
205:cordwainers
63:cordwainers
872:Shoemaking
698:Fiddlebase
595:, p.
579:Enc. Brit.
489:, p.
473:, p.
454:References
288:human foot
266:Surinamese
212:shoemakers
59:shoemakers
55:human foot
784:Cambridge
459:Citations
448:Shoe size
315:cast iron
311:hardwoods
269:immigrant
200:Although
91:cast iron
87:hardwoods
866:Category
442:See also
363:Florence
327:recycled
276:patented
142:include
140:Cognates
800:2120894
380:Gallery
357:at the
250:Britain
209:bespoke
184:in 1885
173:History
166:Leisten
144:Swedish
136:laistaz
120:English
44:Germany
40:Hamburg
818:
798:
758:
719:
618:
331:Europe
282:Design
162:German
160:, and
153:Danish
843:Lasts
796:JSTOR
782:(1).
711:[
385:Lasts
367:Italy
202:Roman
157:læste
130:term
122:word
75:heels
71:soles
67:shoes
816:ISBN
756:ISBN
717:ISBN
626:Last
491:1168
353:and
333:and
194:Lynn
148:läst
134:as *
124:last
118:The
114:Name
73:and
61:and
51:last
788:doi
628:".
597:177
475:284
361:in
252:by
218:in
868::
794:.
780:41
778:.
774:.
735:,
696:,
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643:,
510:^
365:,
337:.
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151:,
89:,
49:A
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436:)
207:—
23:.
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