whites boots | The Filson Journal

Peter Henrikson: Soul of Traditional Craftsmanship

Whether it is in a timber-framed home, or a backcountry stream bridge, or a 16th-century boatshed built on the shores of a Norwegian lake, it is the invisible that makes the visible hold together. Stout timbers connect one to the other, each log hand-selected, each joint hand-fitted, each nexus of beam and truss and tie and rafter its own unique, articulated piece of hand-wrought woodworking. For many, timber framing is, in its essence, an expression of honesty.

Black and white historical photo of five men wearing White's Boots.

Signature Materials

White’s Boots: 168 years of handmade tradition

Bootmaking is one of those occupations that, done properly, wears well over time for both the boot’s owner and the bootmaker. And in nineteenth-century America, this was a handcraft occupation, where profit was measured not by an hourly wage, but per boot.

3 Min