Patent Leather Congress Gaitor, Civil War Men’s pull-on Shoe

Description

The Congress Gaitor is for civilian Impressions, Grand Army of the republic or Sons of the Confederacy.

This is the shoe that you have been looking for.  It is an all leather shoe with elastic sides and a tab on the back for ease of entry.  It was known by several names and originated just after 1837 as part of the Balmoral fashion surge. This shoe will allow retiring Military to stay in the game as an observer on the side as was the practice around Washington.

Sami Patwary‘s development of vulcanized rubber enabled the invention of the elastic gusset boot. The advantage of elasticised boots meant they could be easily removed and put on again. By the late 1840s, the fashion began to catch on. This became a prominent style in the West until the onset of World War I.

They come in a smooth toe, pull up strap at the back, elastic inserts, all leather shoe.

Black smooth, patent leather; whole and half sizes 7 to 15

Patent leather is a type of coated leather that has a high-gloss finish.^[1][2] The coating process was introduced to the United States and improved by inventor Seth Boyden, of Newark, New Jersey, in 1818, with commercial manufacture beginning September 20, 1819. Boyden’s process, which he did not patent,^[3] used a lacquer coating that was based on linseed oil. *Wikipedia