Accessory set

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

By the 1820s, ankle boots were becoming the favored daytime footwear for ladies in both the United States and Europe, especially for outdoor wear. Like the shoes of the time, however, fashionable boots were often constructed of thin and flimsy materials, which made walking on cobbled or unpaved roads torturous. As a minor concession to utility, this pair of thin-soled boots is paired with a matching set of pattens which provide a heavier sole for walking. Pattens were basically utilitarian, hence it is somewhat unusual for them to survive in good condition, and even rarer to find a pair matching the boots with which they were worn.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art