A boot polisher on a railway platform in Mumbai, India.
Shoeshinerorboot polisher is an occupation in which a person cleans and buffs shoes and then applies a waxy paste to give a shiny appearance and a protective coating. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job was traditionally done by a male child. Other synonyms are bootblack and shoeblack. While the role is denigrated in much of Western civilization, shining shoes is an important source of income for many children and families throughout the world. Some shoeshiners offer extra services, such as shoe repairs and general tailoring. Some well-known people started their working life as shoeshiners, including singers and presidents.
The earliest reliably dated photograph of a person, taken in spring 1838 by Daguerre, shows a person getting a shoeshine.
Very large households in Victorian England sometimes included a young male servant called the Boot Boy, specializing in the care of footwear. Hotel staff for this function were commonly called The Boots. (A Boots was one of the crew in The Hunting of the Snark.) Branded shoe polish appeared early in the 19th century: Charles Dickens was employed at age 12 in Warren's Blacking Factory in London in 1824.[1] Since the late 19th century shoeshine boys plied their trade on the streets, and were common in British cities.
The earliest known daguerreotype (photograph) of a human, View of the Boulevard du Temple, features a man having his shoes shined in the lower corner of the print.[2] Though the image shows Paris' busy Boulevard du Temple, the long exposure time (several minutes) meant that moving traffic cannot be seen; however, the two men at lower left (one apparently having his boots polished by the other) remained still long enough to be distinctly visible. Shoe shine posts were common in public places like railway stations throughout the 20th century, as featured in Fred Astaire's dance number A Shine on Your Shoes[3]
(video) A shoeshiner in Japan, 2016The Independent Shoe-BlackbyJohn Thomson, 1877.Shoeshiner at work in Tepotzotlan, Mexico.Shoeshiner at work in Porto, PortugalShoeshiner in Istanbul, TurkeyShoeshiner at work in Havana, Cuba, 2014
The profession is common in many countries around the world, with the revenue earned by the shoeshiner being a significant proportion of a family income, particularly when the father of the family has died or can no longer work.[4]InAfghanistan some children will work after school and can earn 100 Afghanis (around £1) each day.[5] Many street children use shoeshining as their only means of income.
Some cities require shoeshiners to acquire licences in order to work legally. In August 2007 shoeshiners in Mumbai, India were told that they could no longer work on the railway stations due to "financial irregularities". Every Shoeshine Association was asked to reapply for their license, with many worried that they would lose out to a rival.[6]
In addition to street shoe shiners, in some countries, among others Japan, the US and Singapore, there are artisanal shoeshines who specialize in the care of bespoke luxury shoes. These are usually found at high-priced men's outfitters or operate as independent businesses.[7]
Since 2017, annual World Championships in Shoe Shining are hosted in London. During the contest, the candidates are tasked with shining one shoe to the best of their ability within 20 minutes. The best mirror shine is awarded by a jury of experts.[8][9]
Coco, a 2017 film, in which the character of Miguel worked as a shoeshiner before going into shoemaking.
Police Squad!, the spoof police procedural starring Leslie Nielsen featured a shoe shiner called Johnny, played by William Duell. As well as shining shoes and giving inside info on the latest case to main character Frank Drebin, Johnny appeared to have a vast knowledge of just about any subject his customers would ask him about, from fire safety to medical procedures, for a small tip.
Ragged Dick, an 1867 dime novel by Horatio Alger Jr. about a poor but honest shoeshiner and his rise to middle-class comfort and respectability through good moral behavior, clean living, and determination. Shine!, a musical based on Alger's work, particularly Ragged Dick, was produced in 1982.
Rajbahadur Bakhia the arch-villain in novels of Surender Mohan Pathak, was originally a shoeshiner at flora fountain area of Mumbai, and had his introduction with underworld over a payment dispute with a small-time gangster who refused to pay him.
In "Get Rhythm" (1956), written and performed by Johnny Cash, the song's narrator asks a "little shoeshine boy" who has "the dirtiest job in town" how he keeps from getting the blues. The shoeshine boy "grinned as he raised his little head / He popped a shoeshine rag, and then he said / Get rhythm..."
