Sneakers got their name in the late 1800s because their rubber soles let wearers walk silently — much quieter than the leather-soled shoes of the day. Early canvas-and-rubber designs were marketed for tennis and basketball, then crossed over to everyday wear in the mid-20th century. The basic canvas low-top silhouette is over a century old in its essentials: canvas upper, stitched panels, a rubber toe cap, and a flat rubber sole. Coloring sheet of a pair of low-top canvas sneakers with neat laces, stitched paneling, and rubber toe caps.
