Through the presentation of two studies conducted in Brussels and Rome, the magazine deals with the boot scrapers, those objects on the side of the front door, there so shoes could be cleaned before entering the house. From simple blades fixed to the wall to richly decorated cast iron pieces, the boot scraper existence has depended both on the conditions of roads and sidewalks – at a time when we began to consider a pleasure to walk around in the city – both on the increasingly popular hygiene habits.
Ample space has been given to the catalogues of the foundries to demonstrate how high were the commercial expectations of the manufacturers, but also because the drawings are much more beautiful and decorated than the objects survived.