Pair of Pattens
1780-1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The patten as a type of protective footwear dates back at least to Roman times. They have been worn mainly for the practical purpose of protecting shoes and feet coming into contact with mud, puddles, or street rubbish, but have also been fashion items when made in more sumptuous materials.
This particular pair are of the later type with a wooden sole mounted above a metal ring, the whole thing worn over a pair of shoes and keeping the wearer's feet about an inch above the ground: this pair of pattens probably dates from 1780-1810, but the earliest printed mention of this type with the metal ring beneath is in 1575. The squared toe is not necessarily an indication of the toe shape of the shoes with which they were worn: pattens for general wear were almost always made in a squared or rounded shape for strength, as pointed toes would have been prone to snap. Pattens continued to be widely worn until the earlier decades of the nineteenth century, particularly in the country, where improvements to roads took longer to effect.
Pattens for children are quite rare survivals, and some of the smallest pairs are apparently models. The obviously genuine wear which has occurred to this pair indicates that they really would have been worn by a child.
This particular pair are of the later type with a wooden sole mounted above a metal ring, the whole thing worn over a pair of shoes and keeping the wearer's feet about an inch above the ground: this pair of pattens probably dates from 1780-1810, but the earliest printed mention of this type with the metal ring beneath is in 1575. The squared toe is not necessarily an indication of the toe shape of the shoes with which they were worn: pattens for general wear were almost always made in a squared or rounded shape for strength, as pointed toes would have been prone to snap. Pattens continued to be widely worn until the earlier decades of the nineteenth century, particularly in the country, where improvements to roads took longer to effect.
Pattens for children are quite rare survivals, and some of the smallest pairs are apparently models. The obviously genuine wear which has occurred to this pair indicates that they really would have been worn by a child.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Wooden soles; leather straps; iron rings |
| Brief description | Pair of wood and leather pattens for a girl; UK, 1780-1820 |
| Physical description | Pair of girl's pattens, each with a shaped wooden sole with squared toes and black-pigmented sides. The sole is raised above the ground by being rivetted to an ovate iron ring beneath it, with tab-shaped flanges, one of which hooks over the toe of the sole. The pattens fastened over the wearer's shoes with single hole lace-up instep straps of red leather lined with kid and trimmed at the outer sides (at least) with a black leather strip; the instep straps are nailed to the soles. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | £4 (?) on sole of (1) |
| Object history | Bought: Lot 121, Christie's Sale of Costume & Textiles 28/01/1997 Price: £160 + £28.20 V A T etc |
| Summary | The patten as a type of protective footwear dates back at least to Roman times. They have been worn mainly for the practical purpose of protecting shoes and feet coming into contact with mud, puddles, or street rubbish, but have also been fashion items when made in more sumptuous materials. This particular pair are of the later type with a wooden sole mounted above a metal ring, the whole thing worn over a pair of shoes and keeping the wearer's feet about an inch above the ground: this pair of pattens probably dates from 1780-1810, but the earliest printed mention of this type with the metal ring beneath is in 1575. The squared toe is not necessarily an indication of the toe shape of the shoes with which they were worn: pattens for general wear were almost always made in a squared or rounded shape for strength, as pointed toes would have been prone to snap. Pattens continued to be widely worn until the earlier decades of the nineteenth century, particularly in the country, where improvements to roads took longer to effect. Pattens for children are quite rare survivals, and some of the smallest pairs are apparently models. The obviously genuine wear which has occurred to this pair indicates that they really would have been worn by a child. |
| Bibliographic reference | Illustrated on p 9 of catalogue, Christie's Sale of Costume & Textiles 28/01/1997
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.76:1, 2-1997 |
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| Record created | April 19, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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