bootblacks

Street shine workers

Bootblacks are people who shine shoes for a living, typically working from a stand or station in public places.

The term dates from when boots were common footwear and keeping them polished was a daily necessity.

The bootblacks lined up near the train station each morning.

The occupation has largely disappeared with changes in footwear and fashion.

trade

shoeshine

Buffing leather footwear

  • standUpright support structure
  • stoolBackless sitting furniture
  • brushBristled cleaning tool

rag · dauber · polish · wax · buff · kit · parlor · station · box · footrest

technique

buff

Avid fan; also burnish

wax · brush · dauber · rag · cloth · buffing · luster · gleam · sheen · finish

materials

polish

Smooth by rubbing

  • waxPliable waterproof substance
  • conditionerHair-smoothing product
  • dyePigment for changing hues

stain · brush · rag · cloth · dauber · protectant · chamois · horsehair

history

vintage

Quality from past eras

urchin · ragamuffin · bygone · nostalgia · old-fashioned · traditional · historic · period · apprentice · working-class

setting

street

Public urban roadway

hotel · lobby · arcade · storefront · corner · urban · downtown · curb · stand · pedestrian

Categories
Opposites
service role/class hierarchy

bootblacksaristocrats

Hereditary ruling class

masters · patrons · customers · gentlemen · the elite

footwear trade function

bootblackscobblers

Shoe menders or desserts

shoemakers · bootmakers · tanners

Family

bootblack

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G