Long before shoelaces and Velcro were commonplace, shoes were fastened with buttons. In those days, men’s shoes had one to four buttons, women’s had as many as 30, small buttons that required a special tool —a button hook.
This type of metal hook with a wooden handle was introduced in France and patented in 1876. It remained in everyday use until the First World War, when the leather shortage led to a decline in high-buttoned boots, ending demand for a tool like this.
