Dancing Slipper 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have Anne Gene Buckley’s "Dancing Slipper," created sometime between 1935 and 1942. It looks like a watercolor drawing, maybe for a costume design? They're quite striking. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see echoes of the past, layers of meaning embedded within this seemingly simple image. These slippers aren’t just footwear; they're symbols. Note how Buckley carefully renders the form. Does the upturned toe on one shoe and flat image of the other spark any cultural associations for you? Editor: I guess I see some Chinese influence maybe? Curator: Precisely. The slipper form hints at bound feet, doesn’t it? The embroidery too pulls inspiration from multiple cultures: China, Persia, Europe all meeting on a stage. Editor: Oh, that’s interesting. It makes them more than just slippers, like they're hinting at a story of global trade routes. Curator: Absolutely. And think of what shoes often mean in storytelling: Cinderella's glass slipper, the red shoes of folklore, shoes representing journeys and transformation. Buckley may have meant the slippers to invite similar projections and interpretations of female identity. Does the stylized presentation suggest that idea? Editor: I see what you mean. There's a theatrical quality to the rendering. It alludes to so many possible tales of transformation. Curator: Indeed, and that makes this little drawing such a compelling symbolic representation. It’s incredible how an object we think of as basic and functional holds so much cultural memory. Editor: I will never look at a shoe the same way! Thank you.