I'm not sure when getting baby shoes bronzed fell out of style, but my kids gaze at these with an expression that is equal parts amazement and WTF! They belonged to my Dad, who was born in 1913, and my grandparents chose to make bookends from them. When I came along, Mom and Dad opted to have my shoes tastefully displayed on the base of an 8 x 10 photo frame.
In the past couple of years bronzing baby shoes has experienced a bit of a resurgence. Starting at $89 a pair, that's good news for the American Bronzing Company (ABC), the folks who started the practice in 1934 and claim to have produced more than 14 million pairs. These days you can get nearly anything bronzed if you have the money: cowboy hats, pacifiers, dog collars, and all kinds of adult shoes. I've already made Monica promise not to have me bronzed. Spending eternity looking like the "Extra Crispy Colonel" from KFC would be too much!
