Evening slippers 1845 - 1865

Curator: Ah, these evening slippers...a photo of P. Rouillier's still life, crafted sometime between 1845 and 1865. The Met has this little gem. Editor: Instantly, they evoke such a feeling of lightness and ethereal grace, almost like captured moonlight. There’s a sense of expectation about them...the pause before a performance. Curator: Ballet slippers, of course, are tied so closely to concepts of idealised feminine beauty and skill, which by the 19th century, were deeply ingrained in artistic consciousness. Look at the material; that lustrous satin is very romantic! Editor: Absolutely. That specific tone of pale gold reflects ambition, literally! The striving for perfection is physically reflected in this ideal colour. What fascinates me is the deliberate composition. One slipper is prone, as if mid-step, whilst the other is posed rigidly upright, almost at attention. What stories could they whisper, I wonder, in an allegory on discipline? Curator: Oh, it definitely reads like a contrast in postures. To me, there’s something almost photographic about these slippers and it has to do with implied movement; these shoes seem about to go, caught just before the leap! Consider their context, they existed in this epoch of newly attainable photography – Rouillier surely would have had access to it. Editor: So true...photography freed painting up a bit, perhaps allowed this capturing of in-between moments that maybe only paintings could aspire to before? Beyond that, notice how that slightly unsettling lighting is making me think of innocence, expectation, fear. The entire scene carries an air of uncertainty which may be heightened because the light in question feels quite unforgiving. What do you reckon? Curator: That's beautifully put. I completely agree with your point. Also the slipper slightly obscures the rest...a kind of obscured truth as ballet in these eras was tightly policed, even sexually – and the woman's work obscured also. They could also reflect aspirations. Editor: Oh, it seems apt, yes? What hidden dreams and harsh realities did these simple slippers endure in that studio, captured forever in Rouillier’s tender photograph? Curator: These aren't merely shoes, they are a kind of memory theatre, echoing unspoken stories from ballet's bygone age, ready to twirl once again in the spotlight...