Patti Smith, Robert’s Slippers (B), 2003, Gelatin silver print, 20.32 x 25.4 cm (unframed); 53.34 x 40.64 x 2.54 cm (framed), from the collection of James Lahey.
This is a photograph of a pair of slippers taken by Patti Smith. The title is Robert’s Slippers, and it was photographed in 2003. This photograph is a gelatin silver print, measuring 20.32 by 25.4 cm when unframed, and 53.34 by 40.64 by 2.54 cm when framed. This artwork comes to the AGO from the collection of James Lahey.
Photographed from above, this black-and-white image depicts an empty pair of closed-heel black slippers on the floor. The picture is out of focus, creating a soft, blurred effect. The pair of slippers are oriented with the toes facing towards the bottom of the composition, with the heel portion of the slippers at the top. The slippers are off-centre in the shot, appearing slightly to the right of the centre of the photo. The slippers are slim-shaped, black, with white lining inside, and photographed on what appears to be a white floor. The slippers occupy about 75% of the shot, while the remainder of the frame features the white floor, with shadows cast upon it from unknown sources.
Faint writing can be seen in the inner heel area of each slipper as well. The picture is out of focus, making the emblem and writing indiscernible. Other photographs of these slippers have revealed that the slippers are custom-made, likely from high-quality materials. There is also a logo or emblem design of the initials “RM” embroidered on the top face of each slipper. These slippers belonged to Patti Smith’s longtime friend Robert Mapplethorpe, an iconic New York photographer famous for his subversive black-and-white photographs of the gay community in New York from the 1960s to 1980s. Robert Mapplethorpe died from AIDS-related complications in 1989.
This ghostly photograph of an empty but intimate domestic garment reminds us of the pain and loss of losing someone you love dearly.
Found in the My Favourite Things section, the slippers represent how the objects we collect reveal volumes about our personal psychology.