Slipper 1935 - 1942

This watercolor on paper, entitled ‘Slipper,’ was painted by Dorothy Gernon at an unknown date. Gernon’s approach is quite direct. She’s not trying to trick us into thinking that we are seeing the slipper itself. Rather, she gives us a detailed, almost diagrammatic representation. The plaid textile of the slipper is meticulously rendered, and we even see Gernon’s preliminary sketch lines at the top of the sheet. This tells us much about her working process, and the value she placed on clear-sighted observation. The plaid textile gives us some clues. Its woven structure speaks to the mechanization of the textile industry during Gernon’s lifetime, and to the vast global networks of trade that made such materials widely available. The slipper may seem like a humble subject, but it opens up to reveal a complex history of craft, labor, and consumption.