France
19th Century
Wood, leather, velvet
8″ wide x 2 3/8″ deep x 2 3/4″ high

The Colonie agricole de Mettray was a penitentiary for minors that opened in 1839. The colony was founded by Frederic Demetz, a penal reformer and lawyer, alongside well-known architect Guillaume-Abel Blouet. Together they designed the layout of the colony, which consisted of open-air buildings built around a central square, dominated by a chapel. The colony was one of the first of its kind to promote agricultural labor and other manual skills, as well as prayer, as methods of rehabilitation. Eventually, as conditions devolved with overcrowding, the colony resorted to cruel and harsh punishments until its closure in 1939 amidst criticism and financial problems.

This sweet pair of clogs would likely have served as a model to showcase the skills the boys acquired in making the wooden clogs they themselves wore in the Colonie agricole de Mettray. They are made of carved and blackened wood and lined with a chestnut-hued velvet. The vamp in green leather is ornately gilt with the inscription ‘Colonie agricole de Mettray’.