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 t56 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 
 
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 •^N I ROBtSTttfOERDERER V- ^ ij/ 
 
. ..SHOE-OLOGY... 
 
 V^ ^ei^W ^^C V^ ^t^% 
 
 There was a boy in a London school many years ago 
 who was pronounced "a discouraging- and incorrigible 
 scholar," with no prospect of ever improving. His 
 parents were advised to remove hini. as his time was 
 but little better than wasted. When his father died he 
 went to live with a friend of the family, and here again 
 his fondness for attempting what was considered mischief- 
 making experiments showed itself stronger than ever. 
 His "work," as he called it, was conducted in the garret 
 of the house in which he li\ed, much to the consternation 
 and dismay of his friend, who was constantly alarmed b)- 
 unexpected explosions. Mr. Tonkin, the gentleman 
 with whom he lived, was discouraged. "Was there ever 
 such a miserable boy?" he would exclaim. " W^as there 
 ever so idle a dog? He will yet blow us all into 
 the air." 
 
 His experiments were put down as the diversions of 
 

 iiig. 
 
 an idle fellow, and when he remarked that he was 
 Investigatino' the astringent qualities of certain vegetables, 
 with special reference to their operation in tanning, his 
 statement was received with mingled feelings of contempt 
 and disgust. To supply the place of an air-pump in one 
 of his investigations he had nothing but an old, discarded 
 injection syringe. W hen he explained that he needed 
 it to ascertain the nature of air contained in the vesicles 
 of sea-weed, it can readily be imagined that his friends 
 
 shook their heads sadly 
 and viewed his future 
 with gloomy forebodings. 
 Such was the boyhood 
 of Sir Humphrey Davy, 
 whose researches into the 
 secrets of Nature reveal- 
 ed new and surprising 
 facts hitherto unsuspect- 
 ed, on the nature and 
 operation of astringent 
 vegetables in tanning. 
 He embodied the result 
 of his labors in a paper, 
 which he read before the 
 
Royal Society of London, and became at once one of 
 the noted men of the day. Notwithstanding he had 
 never seen a tannery, his theories proved of incalculable 
 value, and his discoveries were such as to mark a 
 distinct era in the evolution of this important industry. 
 
 It may strike the casual reader that leather is a very 
 commonplace subject to attract so great a mind, but the 
 important part leather has played in the domestic 
 economy of our race in its gradual development from 
 barbarism to civilization, makes it entirely proper. There 
 is probably no other article that has been with us so 
 constantly as this product of man from the skins of the 
 beasts of the field, which we know as leather. Nothing 
 ever devised by the hand of man has contributed so much 
 to our personal comfort and physical well being. And so 
 it comes about that every invention that cheapens the 
 cost of leather, that adds to its durability or widens its 
 field of usefulness, contributes just so much more to 
 the happiness of mankind. 
 
 There is nothing like leather. The world without it 
 would be a sorry place to live in — nay an impossible 
 
 '^ if <. 
 
 %:^^ZSM2'^fW'^ 
 
 (jnifftns 
 
place. Number- 
 less attempts 
 have been made 
 to provide a sub- 
 stitute "just as 
 good," but all 
 have ended in 
 disastrous fail- 
 ure. The secret 
 ot its manufac- 
 ture, if such sub- 
 stitute there be, 
 is still securely locked up in Nature's l)reast. 
 
 The manufacture of leather has constantly, though slowly, 
 improved. The quality of leather we now wear is much 
 superior to that of our forefathers. Even the cowhide boots 
 that are sold to the old Jed Proutys of Bucksport are vastly 
 improved over the almost rigid "cast iron" cowhides of 
 long ago. Your tanner moves slowly. He took seven 
 years at one period to tan a hide ; but he always had the 
 good fortune to have brains himself (ir to attract them from 
 
 tng. 
 
the outside. And so he has gone on improving all the 
 time. Besides Sir Humphrey Davy were Crossett, Seguin, 
 and many others who distinguished themselves by their 
 contributions to the tanner's knowledge, and now comes 
 an American, Foerderer by name, who threatens to eclipse 
 them all by the brilliancy of his attainments and the remark- 
 able results achieved. Wliile Sir Humphrey's work was of 
 inestimable value, it applied only to hides or sole leather, 
 and while it improved very materially on the then existing 
 conditions, it embodied no revolutionary change in the 
 
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 method of tanning. Oak bark and hemlock constituted 
 then, as they do now. the basis of all hide tanning. Up to 
 Foerderer' s time sumach leaves were always used for tan- 
 ning skins or upper leather. Foerderer' s discovery is of 
 the greater originality and greater importance, insomuch 
 as it does away entirely with the sumach leaf process, 
 substituting the more certain and wider field of chemistry 
 tor its fundamental basis. Herein is a radical departure. 
 His process promises to supplant all other processes 
 hitherto used in making^ Glazed Kid, and the brand which 
 
nrafcr 
 
 h 
 
 he makes — " Mci Kid " (I conquered) tells in a word the 
 story of another secret wrested by the scientific tanner 
 from the dark recesses of nature ; and the high position un- 
 hesitatingly awarded to his product in the markets of the 
 world proclaims his invention to be the latest and best 
 development of the tanner's work up to date. So rapid 
 has been the growth of this tannery that, from a small be- 
 ginning ten years ago, the establishment now^ covers nearly 
 fourteen acres of ground and employs i, 600 persons. As 
 this " Mci Kid " will probably be worn at some time or other 
 by nearly every one of the sev^enty million inhabitants of 
 this nation, a brief walk through the factory and a glance 
 at the wonderful organization which has achieved this 
 marvelous growth cannot fail to be of interest. 
 
 So with your kind permission we shall inspect the various 
 departments and trace the manufacture of" Vici Kid " from 
 the time the eoat skin arrives till the moment it leaves the 
 factory a finished product. We shall traverse eleven 
 different buildinofs, some more than four hundred feet 
 long; we shall see more than fourteen acres of ground 
 covered completely with buildings filled with machinery of 
 the latest improved pattern, all adapted to the special uses 
 of this great factory, and designed largely by the founder 
 for the sole purpose of producing " Vici Kid." In the well- 
 
ordered factory 
 but little is left 
 to sug'g'est the 
 sleepless nights 
 and the anxious 
 days that pre- 
 ceded the tri- 
 umphant conclu- 
 sion of Robert 
 H. Foerderer's 
 labors. Disap- 
 pointments and 
 
 delays are not now discernible in this smoothly-running 
 
 plant, but they have been there just the same. 
 
 The first place we enter is the warehouse and storehouse 
 
 or receiving department. The great bales you see lying 
 
 all around us bear curious marks in strange languages, 
 
 and come from all quarters of the globe. Goat skins from 
 
 Greece lie cheek by jowl with goat skins from Turkey ; 
 
 India, Assyria. Egypt, Persia, Arabia, China, Mexico, Cape 
 
 of Good Hope, Zanzibar, P>ance, Algiers, Tunis, Servia, 
 
 Belgrade, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Balkan Provinces, Thibet, 
 
 South America, Afghanistan — all contribute their quota of 
 
 goats to supply the enormous demand of forty thousand 
 
 skins per day which are 
 
 used in these great 
 
 works. Think of it. 
 
 P^orty thousand goat 
 
 skins ! Why that 
 
 would not only 
 
 cover Harlem 
 
 completely with 
 
 goats, but the rest 
 
 of M a n h a 1 1 a n 
 
 Island as well ! 
 
 From the warehou se 
 
 the skins are sent to the 
 
 soak tubs — immense tanks 
 
 filled with water in which to 
 
soften them : some go into a sort of machine constructed 
 somewhat on the principle of a wash board, where the 
 constant manipulation of a huge corrugated arm rtMiders 
 them soft and pliable. P>om the soak tubs the\' go to 
 the lime \ ats, where the\' remain for a i)eriod ot two 
 weeks. 
 
 The action of the lime in the vats is the hrst act in the 
 process of converting a goat skin into a piece ol glazed 
 kid. All skins have a tendency to putrefaction and 
 deca)'. The various methods which produce leather 
 simi)l)' mean treating the skin in such a manner as to 
 increase its strength and power to resist wear and tear, 
 and render it proof against putrefaction. And according 
 to the skill of the tanner and the perfection of his process, 
 so is the cjualitv of his finished product. The skins are 
 handled no less than 140 times. Without a doubt the 
 Foerderer process has produced the finest glazed kid )'et 
 put upon the market. Hut to resume. 
 
 After coming from the lime vats they go to the unhair- 
 ing dei)artnient. The effect of the lime has been to 
 
 loosen the hair, and 
 it becomes a com- 
 paratively simple 
 oj^eration t( > re- 
 move it with a long 
 doul)le-edged knife. 
 The dull edge takes 
 the hair oft^ and the 
 s h a r |) e d g e re- 
 moN'es the waste 
 part, such as the 
 shanks, neck, etc. 
 This is not, proper- 
 ly speaking, waste, 
 as it is afterward 
 converted into 
 glue. Even the hair 
 is not lost. Some 
 of it u^oes to the 
 
-* > > ^ >- < 
 
 metif. 
 
 upholsterer and some to the jjlasterer, besides having- 
 other uses to which it is put. 
 
 Havine been unhaired and trimmed, the skin is then 
 passed along to the Beamino- Department, where it is 
 washed, fleshed, bated, pured and slated. These are all 
 technical terms. Briefly stated, fleshing is passing the 
 skin under the knife and removing all the minute particles 
 of flesh that still remain, after the various operations it has 
 received. The slating machine runs over the skin to 
 take out any hairs which may have escaped the first 
 operation. The other operations in this department are 
 intended to put the skin into proper condition for the 
 next process, which takes place in the d'anning I )epart- 
 ment. Here they are submitted to the action of certain 
 chemicals which accomplish in hours much more satis- 
 factorily what had heretofore taken weeks to do. They 
 here go through an operation termed striking out, by 
 which the excess of water is forced from the skin. 
 
 Some of this work is done by machiner\', but much is 
 still handdabor. The skins are once more carefully 
 trimmed and are then ready for the peculiar-shaped 
 drumdike machine, which imparts to them a stain. The 
 skin now for the first time takes on the color of the skin 
 of commerce. From there it ooes to the Pleatinp- De- 
 
partment, where the skins are folded flesh to flesh 
 They are then sent to the Coloring- Department and 
 dyed as the)' are desired — black, russet, red, yellow, or 
 any other color. 
 
 At this point the skin once more goes under the knife. 
 There is still just the faintest suggestion of thickness 
 where the backbone was, and this must be reduced to 
 conform to the rest of the skin. When this is accom- 
 plished the goods go once more to the Coloring Depart- 
 ment, where the proper color is applied. After coming- 
 from this department the skins go to the Oiling I3epart- 
 ment. Here they receive an application of oil and are 
 then sent to the Drying Room. Each skin is hung on 
 a separate pole for twenty-four hours in a room heated to 
 120°. Then they go to the dry dock bins, to remain until 
 wanted, and thence to the dampening boxes. Leaving- this 
 room, they come to the Knee-staking Room — a peculiar 
 process, the effect of which is to take the stretch out and 
 loosen what flesh may still cling and make the skin thor- 
 oughly pliable. This is rather an interesting room. The 
 men work with one leg perfectly bare, pressing the knee 
 
 Sancg 
 Coloring 
 
 mmi. 
 
 %.■-" ^ 
 

 (fifing 
 
 against the leather and bringing- it quickly clown the stake. 
 The goat skin must not come in contact with a clothed leg, 
 or very soon the friction would cause a bad scraping of 
 the skin of the leg. After the knee-staking process the 
 skins go to the Perching Room. Here they are caught 
 in a long vise, as it were, and the operator puts the 
 crutch ot a long circular knife against his armpit and 
 presses hard against the tlesh side of the skin. Wliat- 
 ever flesh now remains is speedily removed, and the skin 
 leaves the Perching Department smooth on both sides. 
 
 The next operation carries us to the Seasoning Room, 
 where a liquid dressing, made exclusively by Foerderer 
 and used only by him, is put on to close the pores and 
 make the skin ready for polishing or glazing. This latter 
 operation is performed by numberless machines, all 
 moving with incredible swiftness. The skin is placed on 
 a block, an arm comes out, having a piece of glass at the 
 end, and traverses over the leather with licjhtnine-like 
 rapidity. After the first polishing the skins go back to 
 the Seasoning Room, and are again returned to the 
 glazing machines. These operations are repeated several 
 
 13 
 
t i m e^ s, e a c h 
 operation add- 
 inq- to the bril- 
 liancy of the 
 qlaze and the 
 durabilitN' of 
 the leather. 
 \\^ hen the 
 leather has fin- 
 al h' reached 
 that decree of 
 perfection 
 which is the 
 standard of " Vici Kid," it is passed to the Sorting- Room, 
 where it is measured and divided into various g-rades. 
 The measuring machine is one of the most ingenious 
 mechanical contrivances ever devised. It records almost 
 instanth' and with marvelous accuracy the number of 
 square tect and inches in each skin. It is more than 
 human, in that it is intallible. 
 
 The goods are now fairl\- in shape to be offered to the 
 market. The)' ha\e been thoroughly inspected, accurately 
 classified, and arc now arranged in the salesroom for the 
 critical examination ot the buyers who come from all 
 (juarters of tlie coimtr)- or, indeed, of the world. In 
 addition to the salesroom in the factory building, there 
 are also branch houses in New \'ork, Hoston, Chicago 
 and .St. Louis; 
 and agencies in 
 London, Paris, 
 b'rankfort-on- 
 Main. Ciermany 
 ■And Australia, 
 where stock is 
 kept and where 
 s a m pies o f 
 e \' e r \- t h i n g 
 made in tiie 
 IMii 1 adeli)hia 
 
 14 
 
factory can be seen at any time. In a few days " Vici 
 Kid " will have found its final destiny in a pair of shoes 
 ma)'hap worn by the reader of this article. 
 
 It is impossible to convey in a short story like this an 
 adequate idea of the real magnitude of this firm's busi- 
 ness. Its ramifications extend to the uttermost parts of 
 the earth. Enjoying the advantages of unlimited capital, 
 with a knowledge of the raw material born ol experience, 
 and having successfully created the newest and best 
 process of tanning, it can 1)e readily understood that 
 " Vid Kid " is rightly entitled to its position as the 
 Standard A7c/ ot the world. "Trifles make perfection, 
 but perfection is no trifie. " From the moment the goat 
 skin leaves its native slope till the moment it is ready to 
 be delivered to the shoe manufacturer, there is no detail, 
 however trifling, left to chance. Every movement is pre- 
 arranged. It is all part of one grandly conceived organ- 
 ization, where ever)'thing is working in harmony with 
 the general plan of the master mind over all. 
 
 The photographs which accompan)' this sketch are all 
 taken from life as the writer passed through the various 
 
 mw^k%:i;'F:\ 
 
 (Knee 
 ^fafitng. 
 
 15 
 
• departments. It is always a matter of regret that photo- 
 graphs never convey any idea of motion or sound. One 
 cannot imagine the bustle, the activity, and the hum of 
 machinery, which characterize the real factory in oper- 
 ation. vStill they are of deep interest to the student of 
 progress, no matter in what direction, for herein he can 
 see the latest and best, in a business that has always 
 attracted the best and brightest thinkers of the day, from 
 Sir Humphrey Davy to Robert H. I'oerderer. And now 
 we pass on to a consideration of the rare of shoes. 
 
 j^- 
 
 §j VICI LtATtI W 
 
 K 
 
 his experience in tanning 
 
 Mr. Foerderer's re- 
 searches did not end with 
 his discovery of a new pro- 
 cess of tanning. He carried 
 his investigations further. 
 Having succeeded in pro- 
 ducing a leather that was 
 better, cheaper, more dur- 
 able, and finer in appearance 
 than any other leather ever 
 made, he next turned his 
 attention to a product that 
 will not only preserve ///a/ 
 leather, but leather of cruy 
 kind af;er it has l)ecn made 
 into shoes. Realizing trom 
 that more harm is done to 
 
 i6 
 
shoes by want of care than by actual wear, he set out to 
 devise some method whereby the life of a shoe could be 
 revived from time to time, and its career of usefulness 
 extended. 
 
 It was quite natural that a man who had achieved such 
 remarkable results from his laboratory on a previous 
 occasion should turn again to that same mysterious room 
 for means to accomplish another. 
 
 The result of his many experiments has been the final 
 success of Vici Leather Dressing and Vici Leather Polish. 
 The former is a leather dressing which does more than 
 polish the shoe. It is in reality a food for leather. Its 
 ingredients impregnate the leather with fatty oils and 
 other essentials necessary to its welfare. Without these, 
 
 ming t^i 
 
 it in time loses its pliability, the pores open, and the 
 parched leather cracks. Vici Leather Dressing neutralizes 
 the effect of perspiration, which is one of the most deadly 
 foes a shoe has to contend wdth. The Vici Leather 
 Polish is a preparation which imparts a brilliant, even, and 
 durable gloss, which it is not possible to obtain with any 
 other preparation. 
 
 It may probably astonish many women to learn, as they 
 will here for the first time, that they have the means at 
 their own command to reduce their shoe bills very 
 materially. Like all other things, a shoe has its day, and 
 whether that day is long or short depends not on zuea?^, 
 but on care. In a household where there are children, it 
 is not necessary to dwell on the importance of this matter ; 
 
 17 
 
there is scarcely 
 a woman in thr 
 land who has not 
 telt utterly dis- 
 courai^'ed at times 
 o\er h e r shoe 
 hills. Mending- 
 postpones the 
 da\' ot eN'il tor a 
 time, but it does 
 not s o 1 \' e the 
 problem, since 
 mending" can't go 
 on forex'er. This 
 matter of the care 
 of shoes is some- 
 thing that has 
 heretofore re- 
 ceived but scant 
 attention. To start right, the hrst thing is to see that 
 your shoes are made of " \'ici Kid." Many ot the lead- 
 ing manufacturers now stamp on the sole ot their shoes 
 " Made from ' \'ici ' Kid." Don't take any name that 
 sounds like \'ici, which 
 is not spelled " \'-i-c-i." 
 Then, having got the 
 risj-ht shoes, get the 
 rieht dressim^" — J i c i 
 Lcatlicr Drcssiuo — 
 with Horse Shoe trade- 
 mark. 
 
 H a V i n g purchased 
 the right shoes and 
 the right dressing the 
 following rules as to 
 their proper care will 
 l)e found of exceeding 
 \ alue : 
 
vncnf. 
 
 
 ifd: 
 
 
 Rule 
 One. 
 
 ♦ ♦ ♦ RULES ♦ ♦ ♦ 
 
 In usinor the Vici Dressing it is wise to wipe the shoe 
 carefully, removing dust or mud with a dry brush, then 
 wipe the shoe with a damp cloth or sponge — and apply 
 the liquid dressing. Let this dressing remain for a few 
 moments to dry before applying the polish ; after the shoe 
 is completely covered with the polish rub it gentl)' with a 
 soft rag until it shines. Canton flannel is the best polisher. 
 
 Before placing the shoes awa)^ for a season, rub them with 
 a damp rag or sponge, till all blacking or dressing has been 
 removed, then give them a coat of Vici Dressing, and 
 when you need them again they will be as fresh and 
 soft as when you bought them. 
 
 Rub your shoes well with a damp sponge at least once 
 a week to remove the old dressing. The application of 
 any dressing is apt to crack the leather after several coats 
 have been applied. By wiping with a damp cloth or 
 sponge this cracking is prevented and the leather freed 
 from the dust, which comes from the dr)' polish. 
 
^) . 
 
 With a little regard to the following '^Donts'' we 
 know you will find your shoe bills very much reduced. 
 
 DON'T place your shoes against the heater after coming 
 in from the rain. 
 
 DON'T fail to wipe them at least once a week with a 
 soft rag. 
 
 DON'T put them in a closet where there is not free 
 circulation of air. 
 
 DON'T leave them where they can get soaked or burnt. 
 
 DON'T leave a shoe wet with perspiration where it has 
 no chance to dry. Perspiration is bad for the 
 leather. 
 
 DON'T put away shoes in a dirty condition ; wipe them, 
 dress them, and store them in an airy closet. 
 
 DON'T be afraid to give as much care to your shoes as 
 to your wheel. 
 
 DON'T fail to have a change. Two pairs of shoes worn 
 alternately, will outwear three pairs worn con- 
 secutively. 
 
 DON'T forget to wear Vici Kid shoes and keep them 
 clean with Vici Dressing — and last but not least — 
 
 DON'T for or f to look for tJic Horse Shoe trademark 
 when buying Leather, Shoes or Dressing ! 
 
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