Van Gogh painted this picture of sabots combining wood and leather.
The precise definition
of these two types of footware is not clear for one
gradually merges into the other. So as a starting
point let’s say that ‘les galoches’ are made
entirely of wood, whilst ‘les sabots’ are made with
a wooden sole and heel and a leather upper.
Grandrif used to boast new fewer than six manufacturers of these types of footware. One of them was the father of our next door neighbour.
In this detail from a 1924 photo of the children at the Grandrif école publique, there are two lads wearing ‘les galoches’ the all wooden clog, whilst two others are wearing a form of sabot that look like lace up boots.
