The boots, displayed in the Museum Resource Center, are made of canvas, that is, a dense cotton fabric made from thick yarn. This fabric was specifically treated with different compounds to make it flame-retardant, water-repellent, and antifungal. Depending on the compounds used, the canvas had different colorings: the flame-retardant fabric was pale yellow or brown, the water-repellent material was pale green or deep green.
Canvas boots are classified as rare finds of the military uniform items of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Red Army soldiers would sew such boots themselves or ordered them from shoemakers before and during the Great Patriotic War.
In December 1936, the order of the People’s Commissariat of Defense of the USSR “On the uniforms of junior commanders of the ground forces and aviation” established that canvas boots could be considered a mandatory item of military uniform. The order stated: “It is allowed to wear <…> gray or khaki canvas boots outside of formation and military assignments.”
Canvas as a material gained popularity during the First World War when it was impossible to mass-produce leather items due to the high cost and supply shortages. Boots, mittens, belts, raincoats, and hats for soldiers were made of canvas. The advantage of canvas, besides its low price, was that it was easy to repair. It was enough to get a small patch and sew it on the fabric with an awl. However, the canvas shoes also had serious drawbacks, because they were not leakproof and did not protect the feet from the cold.
Canvas boots are classified as rare finds of the military uniform items of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Red Army soldiers would sew such boots themselves or ordered them from shoemakers before and during the Great Patriotic War.
In December 1936, the order of the People’s Commissariat of Defense of the USSR “On the uniforms of junior commanders of the ground forces and aviation” established that canvas boots could be considered a mandatory item of military uniform. The order stated: “It is allowed to wear <…> gray or khaki canvas boots outside of formation and military assignments.”
Canvas as a material gained popularity during the First World War when it was impossible to mass-produce leather items due to the high cost and supply shortages. Boots, mittens, belts, raincoats, and hats for soldiers were made of canvas. The advantage of canvas, besides its low price, was that it was easy to repair. It was enough to get a small patch and sew it on the fabric with an awl. However, the canvas shoes also had serious drawbacks, because they were not leakproof and did not protect the feet from the cold.
