Figure 1.--This photograph was taken near Lecco, at the foot of Alps, about 50 kms North of Milan. It was taken about 1930. The people there lives on mountain agriculture and on fishing in the great Como Lake. It was very common for peasant and working-class boys in the cities to go barefoot until afrer World War II. This was especially pronounced in southern italy.

We note a lot of Italian photographs with barefoot children. Many Italian children went barefoot in the 19th and early-20th century. This was largely because of the extensive pverty in Italy. Italy until recently has been a poor country. Poverty was especially severe in southern Italy. Southern Italy was by far the poorest part of the country. It is also much warmer than northern Italy. In these areas it was very common for children to go barefoot, even to school. This was primarily an economic function and not a fashion or popular style. Families with money to do so, would buy shoes or sandals for their children. Some children may go barefoot out of preference, but the major factor was poverty. This began to change after World War II when economic conditions began to improve in Italy as a result of American aid and European unification.

Prevalence

Going barefoot was very common in Italy. We note a lot of Italian photographs with barefoot children. Italy until well after World War II was a very poor country. There are, as a result, numerous photographs of Italian children goung barefoot.

Chronology

Many Italian children went barefoot in the 19th and early-20th century. There are fewer photographs for the 19th century, but large numbers of children went barefoot then which was common since ancient times. This was largely an economic issue. Footwear, especially leather footwear can be expensive. This is why children going barefoot was so pronounced in southern Italy. Of course climate was a factor. The warm weather made it possible for children to go barefoot year round. The industrial revolution began to have an impact on Italy (mid-19th century). This primarily affected northern Italy. With rising income levels in the north, more children were wearing shoes, although going barefoot was still common, especially in rural areas. The Niort continued to prosper in the early 20th century which meant that more chidren were wrearing shoes, but poor children continued to go barefoot. We note some image of well tgon do children going barefoot. An Italian reader tells us, "I think that in 20th century among some wealthy families (not all) there was no problem to let the children go barefoot during the playtime at home or in the grounds around home. They would never, however, have let a child go barefoot in a public (except on a beach) or for a formal studio portrait." We note open toe sandals in the 1920s as summer footwear for wealthy children, while the poor still went barefoot. This continued to be the case at the time of Workd War II when the country was devestated. And even more children had to go barefoot. The situation contunued to be desperate for a time after the War. But then as the German Economic Miracle anf American aid helped revive the European economy leading to the Italian Economic Miracle (1950s). European integration was another important factor. More and more children began eearing shies, even in rural areas. For the first time in Italian history, most children were wearing shoes or sandals. Italy is now a very properous country, Very few children go barefoot, but sandals are very popular during the summer.

Factors

This was largely because of the extensive pverty in Italy. Italy until recently has been a poor country. Poverty was especially severe in southern Italy. Southern Italy was by far the poorest part of the country. It is also much warmer than northern Italy. In these areas it was very common for children to go barefoot, even to school. This was primarily an economic function and not a fashion or popular style. Families with money to do so, would buy shoes or sandals for their children. Some children may go barefoot out of preference, but the major factor was poverty. A HBC reader in Itlay reports, "The more remarkable difference between American and European custom of children in bare feet, I think was in formal dress. In Europe many children went barefoot, for poverty or for custom. Sometimes also children of affluent families went barefoot in play time, but a child went barefoot to school or to church or for a formal portarit only if he did not have shoes and was thus forced to go barefoot."

Conventions

Most photographs of Italian children going barefoot or of poor children or children during war or other tumultuous events. Poverty is to a great extent the primary factor. We see not only individuals, but whole scgools when just about all of the children or barefoot. Here age was a factor. It was much more commom for the younger children to go barefoot. There are some images of affluent children, even children of the nobility going barefoot, but almost always this is for play in the privacy of the grounds of their often palatial estates. These children almost certainly would have worn shoes when going any where--even casual outings. This is not true for the poor. Many poor children went barefoot, even when dressing up. We see some instance of children from families in comfortable circumstances going barefoot out of preference. But the vast majority of the images we have found are poor children going basrefoot.