ANTIQUE VINTAGE LEATHER SHOE PINCUSHION. HAS WOOD BOTTOM AND HEEL Pre-1930 CHILE

Description

AANTIQUE LEATHER SHOE PINCUSHION. HAS WOOD BOTTOM AND HEEL. MEASURES 4 3/4" LONG BY 2" WIDE AND 2 1/2" TALL.  A WONDERFUL OLD MUSEUM PIECE!
This is a promotional item was made by a company which fabricated sandals in Chile in the early part of the 20th Century.  The word for sandals in Chilean Spanish is Chinela, and the company was called Chinela Araucana.  (Araucana the name of the original habitants and the region of Southern Chile where they lived for many centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.  The Araucanos are the only tribes in all of North, Central, and South America that were never conquered by a European power).  This pincushion is a miniature copy of the type of sandals they made.
This piece is in relatively good condition given its age.  The wooden lower is in near perfect condition except for a small dent on the left side of the heel, plus the back of the heel has turned a bit dark with time.  Less withstanding of time is the leather upper.  It is made of very thin sheepskin leather, and over the years the delicate outer layer has peeled off in three distinct place that you can see in the pictures.  The red ribbon used to hold the leather to the wood is made of a strip of leather covered in red felt, and some of the felt has worn off exposing the leather underneath.  The pincushion itself is made of bright red woven silk stuffed with crude sheep’s wool.  The part that has always been inside the shoe has maintained its original color and luster.   The part facing out is darker and somewhat soiled.  Deep inside the shoe is more crude wool used to maintain the shape.  The wooden lower has wood burned designs around the outer rim, on the floor. and on the sole.  It is signed by the craftsperson FHS, and on the bottom of the heel is burned the shop logo “Chinela Araucana MR” (MR is ”Marca Registrada” - Registered Trade Mark).  The model of shoe is also burned into the wood - Guacolda.  Guacolda was the wife of one of the great Araucano heroes, Lautaro, who battled the Spanish out of their territory.
I am familiar with this item because it has been in my family since long before my birth in 1946.  I believe the discoloration on the back of the heel and pincushion is due to hanging for many, many years next to a wood burning stove.