Single Overshoe - Patten

This overshoe or “patten,” which comes from England, consists of a strong oval iron ring on which a black-painted, pointed wooden sole with integrated heel groove is secured. The two lateral leather flaps, which are tied with a ribbon, are used for fastening over the shoes. Middle-class citizens and maidservants primarily wore overshoes of this kind in England. In January 1786 the Journal des Luxus und der Moden wrote that: “One wears these in bad weather when walking down the street and takes them off at the front door. They make, however, for a heavy, sluggish gait”.