Those of us who read Regency romances and write Regency romances surely have read of the high polish on a gentleman’s boots, but what exactly did that entail?

First, let us define the terms of “boot polish.” It is a waxy paste, cream, or, nowadays, liquid, used not only to polish but waterproof leather shoes or boots. Many of the techniques and mixtures used have been around since the Middle Ages. Original shoes polish was made with dubbin.

Dubbin is a greasy or waxy product used to soften, condition, and waterproof leather. [Waterer, John William (1981). Leather and the warrior : an account of the importance of leather to the fighting man from the time of the ancient Greeks to World War II. Northampton, England: The Museum of Leathercraft. p. 61.]

It has been used since medieval times to waterproof and soften leather goods. It differs from saddle soap used to clean and lightly condition leather, or shoe polish, which is used to impart shine and color to it. It consists primarily of various waxes and oils. Commercial dubbin contains petroleum jelly (petrolatum), paraffin wax, neatsfoot oil, and naphtha (C10-12 alkane/cycloalkane). More traditional dubbin can be made with beeswax, fish oil and lard. [“Mad Madam Mel: A recipe for Dubbin”. madmadammel.com.]

The name dubbin is a contraction of the gerund dubbing, describing the action of applying the wax to leather.

As leather with a high natural veneer became popular in the 18th century, a high glossy finish became important, particularly on shoes and boots. In most cases, homemade polishes were used to provide this finish, often with lanolin or beeswax as a base.^[2]

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the term used was not “shoe polish,” but rather “blacking.” This was true when mixed with lampblack (also called carbon black, lamp black, furnace black, etc., and still used in making tires – Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life. Its low cost makes it a common addition to cathodes and anodes and is considered a safe replacement to lithium metal in lithium-ion batteries). It was still referred to a dubbin. Tallow ws used to manufacture a simple shoe polish used at the time. Such is why Chicago (known for its stock yards and processed meat) became a major shoe polish producing area.

Thomas and Jonathan Warren started making blacking in London around 1795–98. On a side note, Jonathan Warren’s Blacking company is noted as the first employer of Charles Dickens, aged 12 in 1823. [Charles Dickens and the Blacking Factory by Michael Allen. 201] The Warren company’s chief competitor was the Day & Martin company formed in 1801. [Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History]

A site called Blanco and Bill tells us, “Since medieval times dubbin, made from natural wax, oil and tallow, was used to soften and waterproof leather. However, its purpose was not to impart a shine. As leather with a high natural veneer became popular in the 18th century, a high glossy finish cleaner became important, particularly on shoes and boots. In most cases, a variety of homemade polishes were used to provide this finish, often with lanolin or beeswax as a base.

“In the 19th century, many forms of shoe polish became available, yet were rarely referred to as shoe polish or boot polish. Instead, they were often called blacking (usually soot mixed with beeswax or lanolin) or simply continued to be referred to as dubbin. The first commercial shoe polish was a mixture of sugar, vinegar, black dye and water, the problem was that this substance, as with the ‘blacking’, came off on peoples clothes. Tallow, an animal by-product, was used to manufacture a simple form of shoe polish at this time. Chicago, Illinois, where 82 percent of the meat consumed in the United States was processed, became a major shoe polish producing area for this reason.

“Prior to 1903, shoe polish was not well known as a purchasable product, nor was it particularly sophisticated. While sales were not especially high, a few brands, like Nugget, were available in England during the 1800s. The practice of shining people’s shoes gradually caught on and soon many shoeshine boys in the city streets were offering shoe shines using a basic form of shoe polish along with a polishing cloth.”

Story Blurb: Ballerinas were never ladies in Regency London, but Miss Marian Cooper was different. She was a woman of substance, the type of female a miserable example of English “quality” required to make him man enough to inherit the title of Marquess of Coulter.

Giveaway: I have 6 eBook copies of Regency Summer Melodies available to those who comment on theses posts. Winners will be chosen on 7 July 2025 and contacted by email address.

Regency Summer Melodies ~ releasing 5 July 2025 ~ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD8FT6C4/