Lily Foot. Foot-binding in China. Vintage Postcard app. 1900
Chinese b/w vintage postcard depicting a bound foot
Published by Denniston & Sullivan, Shanghai. Unused, very fine condition.
Foot binding was a custom practiced on young girls and women for approximately one thousand years in China, beginning in the 10th century and ending in the first half of 20th century.
To enable the size of the feet to be reduced, the toes on each foot were curled under, then pressed with great force downwards and squeezed into the sole of the foot until the toes break.
This was all carried out with no pain relief, causing the girl to experience severe pain. The broken toes were then held tightly against the sole of the foot. The foot was then drawn down straight with the leg and the arch forcibly broken.
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