Exhibit Review

“The Charm of Rococo: Femininity and Footwear in the 18th Century.” The Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor St. West, Toronto, Ontario. Temporary exhibit: June 2006 to February 2008. Square footage unavailable. Elizabeth Semmelhack, Curator. Date Visited: October 22, 2007.

“The Charm of Rocco” is a temporary, yet surprisingly long-standing exhibit located at, and funded by, the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Ontario. This comparatively small exhibit was created by the Bata Shoe Museum’s head Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack, and was designed by multiple in-house staff. The museum also brought in Tom McAneny, a guest artist, who, with direction from Semmelhack, created an extravagant exhibition space. This elegant and visually opulent display captures the eye and imagination of those visiting the museum, taking them back into the luxurious era of the Rococo period. The goal of the exhibit is not only to be visually appealing, but aims to demonstrate the shifting styles in footwear during 18th century France and the connection between femininity and footwear. By maintaining the artefacts in pristine condition, the museum seeks to display and celebrate some of their most beautiful possessions, and accompany them with a brief history of the Rococo period.

The presentation of history throughout the exhibit, although accurate, is understated. The exhibit focuses on femininity and footwear during the Rococo period in France, stating, “emanating from the French court, the Rococo aesthetic infused a sensuous charm and delicate grace into 18th century fashion, it also defined femininity in new ways.”[1] The exhibit, although successful in its display of femininity and footwear, gives very little insight into the art-historiography of the period or fashions prior to or post Rococo. Separated into eleven different sub-groups, the exhibit displays about four to five pairs of shoes under each sub-title, yet the historic description associated with each grouping, is usually only a few sentences long, giving a very general overview of the artefacts. Often, the shoes are left unaccompanied, without any artefact-specific description, such as the exact date, the material used, the original creator or the succession of ownership. The shoes are classified under sub-titles, such as ‘Baroque Brilliance’, ‘Pretty Maids,’ ‘Frills’ and ‘Off with Their Heels’, and although the panels accompanying the shoes are well written, on average they lack the essential descriptive notes required to gain a greater historical context. For example, under the description ‘Off with Their Heels,’ the exhibit states, “the loss of the high heel signalled as a change in idealized femininity,”[2] however it does not examine or compare the four sets of shoes accompanying the text, leaving the visitor with an general impression, but not a highly detailed understanding of the footwear, fashion and changing standards of femininity.

Although the presentation of history is simplified, the overall affect and lasting impression of the exhibit design is noteworthy. The general themes of femininity are conveyed and the design of the exhibit highlights the importance of extravagance and elegance during the period. The room that houses the exhibit is extremely lavish, painted with gold sunburst and white walls, three gold chandeliers with flickering ‘candles’, and eight large mirrors lining the walls. The mirrors not only create a sense of space, but also reflect the flicking light of the chandeliers creating a sensuous mood. The exhibit creators, although focusing on mood lighting, use track lighting as well, to bring attention to the objects displayed. The visual tactics used by the creators of the exhibit are indeed one of the most significant and influential parts of the display, as it reinforces the extravagant spirit of the Rococo period. “The Charm of Rococo” is successful in the sense that it creates an awe-inspiring environment, for the remarkably beautiful artefacts. The artefacts presented are the exhibits’ chief focus, since historical description, original artwork or other media outlets do not accompany them on average. The display houses forty-three pairs of shoes, and fourteen single shoes, which alone creates an abundance of visual substance.

Although light-hearted and engaging, “The Charm of Rococo” is designed with a specific audience in mind: the school group. The exhibit is frequented by high schools, which incorporate the field trip into their Visual Arts programs and touch on the art history associated with the period. Fine art students and art history students from the University of Toronto, Ryerson University and the Ontario College of Art and Design, also frequent the exhibit. Major themes run through the exhibit, that can be manipulated to address the history of the French Court, the art of the Rococo period or the history of fashion in general. To get the most out of the exhibit, the audience is best equipped if they have an understanding and interest in art history. For example, one-panel states, “silverlace decoration and high ‘Van Dyck’ tongue is a fine example of early Rococo style.” For the audience, this statement is only significant to those who can identify Van Dyck as a popular portrait artist from the 17th century. Although the intended audience are students, the exhibit does cater to a wider audience in the sense that the artefacts are visually stimulating and the content is linear and quick to explore. The Bata Shoe Museum is a top tourist attraction in Toronto, but for the general public, the larger exhibits focusing on Native Footwear, Pop-Icon Footwear and Chronicles of Riches, generate a wider audience. Artefacts such as Terry Fox’s running shoes, Elvis Presley’s white penny loafers and Princess Diana’s baby blue pumps, in general, generate a larger audience. “The Charm of Rococo” is tucked away on the second floor, often only visited by guided tour.

Overall, the exhibit has both positives and negatives aspects. The drawback of the Rococo exhibit is the lack of detail and over simplified panels. Also, the location and rectangular set-up of the room is a visual weakness, as it is designed to cater to walking tour groups, such as school field trips. Another drawback is the cost to enter the museum, which remains quite expensive for the size and scope of the museum. The cost ranges from four dollars for children under five, six dollars for students and twelve dollars for adults. “The Charm of Rococo” exhibit falls under these general admission costs, as well as several other larger exhibits. A new positive feature is that the museum is now free on Thursday night from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, opening up a wider, potential audience for the Rococo exhibit. Primarily though, the positives lie in the exhibits use of the artefacts and the elaborate decoration of the space. Bringing in guest artist Tom McAneny to recreate the emphasis the style of the Rococo period was a major plus for the exhibit, as it reinforced the beauty of the artefacts themselves. “The Charm of Rococo” is a clear representation of the type of history the Bata Shoe Museum wants presented, which focuses more energy on the displaying of artefacts, than on the detailed history behind them. In this case, the splendour and grace of the artefacts, and the elegant and rich atmosphere in which the exhibit is shown, make up for the contextual shortcomings. The artefacts and the design carried an otherwise average exhibit to the next level, making it a memorable and positive experience.

Notes:
[1] Elizabeth Semmelhack, Introductory Panel, “The Charm of Rococo: Femininity and Footwear in the 18th Century.” The Bata Shoe Museum.
[2] Semmelhack, Off with Their Heels, “The Charm of Rococo.”