Wellingtons Go French
The first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, considered to be the creator of the boots named after him can be seen wearing them in a famous portrait by James Lonsdale dated 1815. The history of this popular footwear going back to almost two centuries makes fascinating reading.
The Wellington boot variously known as a gumboot, wellie or a rubber boot was originally adapted from a type of boots worn by Hessians, a German tribe settled in the city state of Hesse. The Duke of Wellington designed them, wore them and made them popular with the British aristocracy, during the early nineteenth century.
Folklore has it that The Duke of Wellington, also known as the Iron Duke, got his cobbler Hoby of St. James Street in London to improve on the Hessian boot. The result was a boot in calf leather without trim and cut closer to the legs. The heels were unusually low cut at about an inch in height and the boot rose up to just below the knee. It was sturdy and presentable and the Iron Duke used it on the battlefield as well as his footwear for formal purposes. Being very popular, he was expected to attend many social functions like dinners and other formals and he comfortably wore his newly styled boots to them. Before he knew what was happening, the boots were named Wellingtons, and the name and style have remained the same till date.
British gentlemen quickly emulated their war hero, who had routed Napoleon at Waterloo. They became a fashion statement and was worn by dandies notably, Beau Brummel. They remained so till the end of the 1840s got altered to calf length in the 1850s and from the 1860s they came down to ankle height. Except to wear for horse riding, they have remained so till now.
Till mid 1850s, the Wellingtons as other boots were made from leather. But in 1852, further change came about. Charles Goodyear in America had invented a vulcanizing process for natural rubber. Goodyear went into the manufacture of automobile tires, but Hiram Hutchison bought the patent to manufacture footwear. He first moved to France and established A l'Aigle in 1853. A l'Aigle meant To the Eagle, to honor his homeland. It is now called AIGLE, or Eagle. French peasants used to only wooden clogs for centuries, quickly took to the Wellington rubber boots as it offered much greater protection for their feet. Indeed the peasants now could return home in the evenings with dry and clean feet!
Modern Wellington rubber boots are made to be waterproof. Sometimes, they are made from synthetic rubber compounds. They are used in the rains or for working in wet and or muddy conditions. They rise up to just below the knees and come in a wide variety of styles and colors.
