Vintage 40s German Ladies Shoes

JojosRetroAndVintage

JojosRetroAndVintage

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Good morning everyone. I'm back again with another vintage accessory question. Recently I obtained a lovely pair of black suede shoes from the 40s with a cuban heel. They have German markings on the interiors and appear to be a size 2E. My questions are: what does a 2E translate to now- about a 4.5 wide in US sizing? Also there is a crest that is worn off and stamp states "
wie Handarbeit" which I can translate to "handwork" and "Mod. Ges. Gesch"

Is anyone familiar with these markings?
Will attempt to attach pic.

Many thanks!
Josette


:help:
 
I don't speak or read German but I think handarbeit means handmade and Mod. Ges. Gesch is a term for "patented" or registered. It was used in jewelry and other products.

Love the shoes!
 
German sizes are the same as English sizes, so whatever an English size 2E would translate into for a U.S. sizing would be the same. If these are 40s, they are just barely 40s, not earlier than 1948, possibly as late as 1954.
 
Historically, there isn't much luxury manufacturing of any kind in Germany until after currency reform in 1948, and those heavy soled baby doll styles are very popular in Europe in the late 40s and early 50s. American shoes tend to be either 2 inch tall platforms or no platform at all, rather than these heavier looking soles consisting of a small platform.
 
I think "wie Handarbeit" translates as "like handmade", so almost as good as handmade.
Click to expand...
Yup, means exactly that.

"Mod. ges. gesch." means "Modell gesetzlich geschützt", which would translate as "patented". Translated word by word it means "protected by law".

Karin
 
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