Sold at Eaton’s for $12, these elegant size-5-1/2 lounge shoes were purchased and worn by Jeanne Richard during her honeymoon.
An inscription is printed in gold lettering in the centre of the inner pad of the shoe:
“Pour T.(imothy) Eaton par Sandalari, Paris” (“For T.[imothy] Eaton by Sandalari, Paris”).
Who is Sandalari? You should know that, in the late 1920s, Mary Bendelari, known as “Madame Sandalari,” created sandals. An American and the daughter of Frederick Bendelari, a businessman involved in mines, Mary came to study at Havergal College in Toronto. After her studies, she decided to travel to Paris, a city known for fashion. A combination of circumstances led her to branch off into shoe design. Inspired by a sandal that she bought at a small store in the City of Lights, Mary designed comfortable sandals made of leather straps that quickly became very popular. With the help of her father, who advanced her the necessary funds, she opened two factories in Paris, managed 125 employees, and opened a shop on a major commercial street. A few difficulties came to darken this flourishing career. Her products were quickly imitated. She ultimately returned to the United States and tried in vain to get legislation passed to protect the copyrights of fashion designers.
Furthermore, on at least two occasions, the Montreal newspaper La Presse quoted in reports that certain shoe models, particularly evening shoes, bore the mention “Création Sandalari” (“Sandalari Creation”) in May and August 1932.
In any event, on October 28, 1935, in Trois-Rivières, Marie Jeanne (1911-2002), the daughter of Norbert Richard (ca. 1875-1939) and Délima Mercier, joined her destiny to Hervé Balleux (ca. 1904-1988), the son of Maria and Josaphat Balleux, a brakeman for the Canadian Pacific railway company in Trois-Rivières.
Jeanne’s father, Norbert Richard, was successively a baker in Laurierville, a carter in Trois-Rivières, and a grocery store owner in the same city.
Donation from Lise Balleux
Musée Pierre-Boucher Collection
1999 1500 C.1-2
