Fifth Ave., N.Y.C. Possibly 1973 - 1994

Richard Gordon captured this gelatin silver print, “Fifth Ave., N.Y.C.,” revealing ballet shoes suspended in a shop window. These shoes, emblems of lightness and precision, evoke a lineage stretching back to the Renaissance courts. Consider how footwear, a seemingly mundane object, has morphed into a potent symbol of aspiration. From ancient Greek sandals immortalized in sculpture to the slippers of Cinderella, shoes carry dreams of transformation. These ballet shoes, hanging poised, might remind us of Degas’ dancers, forever caught in moments of grace. Yet, there’s a poignant contrast: the city’s grit reflected in the glass, the fleeting figures of passersby. The shoes, symbols of idealized beauty, are juxtaposed against the ordinary, hinting at the ephemeral nature of beauty itself. This tension awakens a deep emotional response, a blend of longing and the inevitable passage of time. The motif endures, a testament to our collective memory and yearning for beauty.