"So- What kind of footwear was used 100 years ago?"

It was more or less like today's regular shoes, custom-made by hand, and relatively expensive. Most were preserved or waterproofed using what was locally available, probably mainly beeswax and tallow.

From Wikipedia: "Since medieval times, dubbin, a waxy product, was used to soften and waterproof leather; however, it did not impart shine. It was made from natural wax, oil, soda ash and tallow."

A former coworker was involved with the Society for Creative Anacronism (SCA) and she had told me about dubbin, but I had forgotten the word and had to look it up.

Sue