What better “X” word than “X-ray”? I googled X-ray and 1920 and found the following video about x-rays being used in shoe stores at that time. They show a shoe that they said cramps the toes. I found a similar pair of shoes on my Aunt Ola Cleage in the photo above.
Wow, that’s a unique way of checking it the shoe fits… 😀
The Multicolored Diary
Sounds like it was a bad idea when they over used it.
A very clever and an eXtremely informative X post. Cheers.
I was surprised to find it and overjoyed to find a photo of a relative wearing a matching shoe.
Yeah, it’s a great idea for checking the fit… when you don’t know that constantly fooling around with x-rays is worse than cramped toes. Also, it hardly seems like an x-ray would have been necessary to guess that those shoes were squeezing toes, but then, I have wide feet so I’m a little over-sensitive about skinny-toed shoes. =)
Black and White (Words and Pictures)
I do not like having my toes squeezed either. Usually I go barefoot. Not out in the world, but here at home.
Wow. I hope it wasn’t any stronger than a dental x-ray!
I’m pretty sure it was stronger. Back then then dental x-rays were stronger.
I can remember I think having my feet x-rayed in 1971 when buying school shoes in England. since your reference was so early I was doubting my memory but checked and yes the machines were apparently in use up to the 1970s.
I will have to see if my sister remembers them. My uncle Louis Cleage was a doctor and he had to have skin grafts on one of his fingers because of exposure when he was doing x-rays. That finger was bigger than his other fingers. Maybe he cautioned against random x-rays of the feet because of that.
I wonder if your Aunt Ola’s feet were cramped? Just watched the video, the Surgeon-General definitely does not approve of her very smart shoes.
Hoping she wore more comfortable shoes in everyday life. She looks dressed up in this photo.
Oh my my they were so reckless with x rays and they still are. The effect is cumulative.
I know! It’s frightening.
Oh, wow! I didn’t imagine X-ray were used in such a way in the 1920s. I mean, it makes sense, but still if feel weird.
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – Living the Twenties
Except you should be able to try on the shoes and tell if they are pinching your toes. But people are often open to modern methods that turn out to not be as innocuous as they seemed at first.