Shoes are everyday objects but they are loaded with meaning. In this talk, Matthew McCormack will discuss his new book, Shoes and the Georgian Man, which shows how shoes relate closely to the bodies of their wearers.

Thinking about shoes as material objects, he studied historic shoes first-hand in museums, in order to ascertain their physical properties and what they would have been like to wear. Worn shoes preserve traces of the wearer's body in their indentations, stretches and scuffs, providing a unique primary source about their wearer. 

Studying historic shoes can tell us about social, occupational and gender roles – in particular, they tell us about what it meant to be a man in the eighteenth century.

Put your best foot forward and join us for this fascinating talk - you’ll be greeted with a glass of cloudy lemonade and afterwards there will be Q&A session led by Adam Smith, from York St John University, and the opportunity to buy copies of the book.

Start time: 13:30 (Doors open 13:15)

Finish time: 14:30

Refreshing cloudy lemonade on arrival

Location: York Mansion House, St Helen's Square, York, YO1 9QL

Please note we have 2 wheelchair spaces available, please email ymhevents@york.gov.uk or call us on 01904 553663 when booking your tickets to secure a wheelchair space.