Wooden Shoemaker's Lasts on a Workbench

A last is the wooden foot a shoemaker builds a shoe around. The hinge across the instep lets it fold in the middle, so it can be pulled out of a finished shoe without stretching the leather. The row of tiny holes near the sole comes from the tacks that held the upper in place while it was shaped. This worn pair rests on a scarred workbench in soft window light, a quiet shoemaker's lasts jigsaw puzzle in shades of old wood.