Woman's Slipper c. 1937

Editor: Here we have Grace Halpin's "Woman's Slipper," a pencil drawing from around 1937. I’m immediately struck by the way it focuses on the details and craft of a common object. What's your take on this? Curator: Well, consider what a drawing like this *does*. It meticulously records the texture of the leather, the stitching, the ribbons. This isn't just about representation, but an almost forensic cataloging of how this slipper was constructed. Think about the labor involved in making such a shoe in the 1930s, the social context of shoe production, versus our mass-produced items today. Editor: So, you see it as highlighting the labor of creation itself? Curator: Exactly. Halpin elevates a mundane, manufactured item, forcing us to acknowledge its material reality and the processes that gave it form. Note how she also included that little 'scale of inches', an artifact of design and mass manufacture of the time. Were these drawings for an in-house purpose, do you think? Editor: That’s an interesting point. It almost feels like a technical drawing or something. Were these for a cobbler or someone involved in production, perhaps? Curator: Possibly, though it's interesting to me that she didn’t chose to display the sole or other 'functional' element of manufacture, but presents the item whole. This highlights both use and a particular perspective toward consumption. Does Halpin invite you, in this portrait, to consider how you own things and treat the everyday objects around you? Editor: I never would have considered the social implication and processes of production so explicitly if it wasn't highlighted this way. This brings the slipper and Halpin’s approach to life. Curator: Precisely. This slipper transforms from mere footwear into a record of material culture, production methods, and even a quiet reflection on consumerism of its time.