DESCRIPTION: Salesman Samples were common items in the late 19th Century, as salesmen need small versions of their handmade products to show their potential customers, and retailers. Salesmen needed a way to demonstrate the features of larger items. These products needed to be ordered from the maker and manufacturer. Candee Boots was founded by Leverett Candee, who lived between 1795 and 1863, a New England businessman and rubber manufacturer. In 1843, after the failure of a prior business, Candee & Company of Hamden, Connecticut became the company first in the world to manufacture vulcanized rubber boots and overshoes under a license from Charles Goodyear (of the tire fame) under his patented rubber vulcanizing process. By 1852, Candee & Company was firmly established and continued making rubber products until 1892, when it and eight other companies merged to form the U.S. Rubber Co., based in Naugatuck, Connecticut. This is a miniature pair of salesman sample Candee Boots, from New England, circa 1800s. The miniature boots are an exact replica of the Larger Size Boots that would have been worn by an affluent farmer. The miniature boots resemble the English Riding Boots with a large letter "C" on the underside of the heel (see photo). MEASUREMENTS: 5 inches high and 3 inches long.

Excellent condition.