1950s Acme Butterfly Pee Wee Boots
Size: Men’s 10.5 D
Maker: Acme Boot Company (Clarksville, Tennessee)
Material: All-Leather with Multi-Color Butterfly Inlays
Condition: Good vintage condition consistent with age; wear to soles and heels, light creasing to vamps and shafts
The Boots
These 1950s Acme “Butterfly” pee wees represent one of the most iconic and collectible designs to emerge from the golden age of American cowboy boot production. The Acme Boot Company, founded in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1929, became the largest boot manufacturer in the world by the mid-twentieth century, and their inlay work from this era remains among the most sought-after by serious collectors. The butterfly pattern, with its vibrant multi-color leather inlays in yellow, red, and green set against a rich brown base, is a hallmark of the period when Western boots were as much a statement of artistry as they were functional footwear.
The construction on this pair is pure mid-century craftsmanship. Each butterfly is formed from carefully cut and inlaid leather pieces, outlined by precise rows of decorative stitching that give the design its dimensional, almost stained-glass quality. The shafts feature a full butterfly motif at the upper portion with leaf-like extensions cascading toward the vamp, while the lower vamps carry sweeping stitch patterns that flow into the pointed toe. The yellow piping along the scalloped collar adds a finishing touch that was characteristic of Acme’s attention to detail during this period. These boots sit on a stacked leather heel and pegged leather sole, built the way boots were meant to be built. For the collector of early Western Americana, a pair of 1950s Acme Butterflies in a wearable Men’s 10.5 D is a rare and significant find that connects directly to the golden era of the American cowboy boot.
