Images of work

This is a pre lasting prep room. Completed uppers from the closing room would be matched up with their respective last here. Lasts had two sizes, the shoe size as we know it and a width size. This catered for people with narrow and broad feet. A shop would send in an order for shoes to the factory specifying the quantity of each size wanted plus width fitting. Tickets would be issued to clicking room and bottom stock room to prepare the components for the order. If the order was for shoes, a ticket would be made out for usually 12 pairs of one size. One pair of shoes required two lasts. 24 lasts fitted onto a wooden rack in recessed tiered platforms and the uppers tied in 24's as seen in the photo would be hung on the appropriate rack. The racks would then be pushed into the lasting room to begin the fitting procedure. The worker in the photo is most likely matching the corresponding last sizes against the issued work ticket and uppers.