Sorosis, Vol.1, 1901, 3rd Edition.

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A scarce trade catalog, not a magazine, that doubles as a piece of social history, documenting both the rise of the Sorosis Shoe Company and its uneasy alignment with Sorosis, the pioneering women’s club founded in New York in 1868 by journalist Jennie June Croly.

In brief, these Lynn, Massachusetts shoe manufacturers appropriated the club’s name, capitalizing on its associations with refinement, intellect, and social progress, which led to a spat with the club (pp. 8–10). Within, the text carefully defends the use of the “Sorosis” name, citing a letter from the club president herself praising the quality of the shoes, thus transforming a potential controversy into marketing authority.

Illustrated pages show elegantly dressed women and refined “shoe parlours,” displaying women’s and children’s shoes alongside advertorial essays on fit, durability, and style. A double spread depicts company factories and retail stores in major cities.

Price: $45.00