The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

The Shoe - How Is It Pictured?

Obviously, the shoe is a very important element in this rhyme. In the illustrations included here, there are very elegant and everyday shoes from high button shoes to high top sneakers. Most of these shoes stand upright, almost as highrise apartments with multiple children within. There are, however, shoes that are upside down or resting on the heel with toe in the air. The questions then become:

• Are these representations primarily artistic attempts to find unique ways to illustrate an old rhyme ?
• Is there significance in the types and positions of the shoe in the various illustrations?
• Does the particular shoe illustrated help to pinpoint the setting (time and/or place) of the rhyme's story? How so?