Pattens

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Walking on rough unpaved or cobbled streets was perilous business in the thin silk-covered shoes of the 18th and early 19th centuries. This pair of overshoes is a rare and interesting combination of the two styles worn at the time, the clog and the patten. The clog was essentially a thick sole made to conform to the bottom of a shoe, with straps securing it to the foot. The patten consisted of a wooden sole elevated on an iron ring. The hobnailed leather pads and serrated iron ring suggest that this pair was made for icy winter conditions.

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