Casgliadau Arlein

black laced leather surgical boot (right foot) with undyed leather lining, 14 pairs of lace holes and metal ring eyelets (painted black); tab of black cotton twill tape at centre back opening. The inside of the boot is shaped from wood (?) to raise the foot and to give a solid support for when the boot would have been inserted into a 'normal' shoe for wear. The boot doesn't have a sole: the upper leather is simply pulled under the sole area and stitched in place using large blanket stitches. The inner construction of the shoe is visible beyond the edge of the uppers. The upper is constructed from 4 pieces of leather.

The boot would have been worn inside a shoe. This shoe is a 'Derby' with a straight toe cap and the quarters being made up of two parts (quarter and counter) and a back strap covering the centre back seam. The shoe has four pairs of lace holes with metal eyelets but no laces. The insole and quarter-lining is of leather, while the vamp is lined with white tabby weave textile. The shoe has been resoled with black plastic (?) in two parts (heel and toe). The front toe part has worn through revealing the leather sole underneath.