Accessory set

Unknown

1825–30 · leather · Costume Institute

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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1825–30

Medium

leather

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Herman Delman, 1954