Copies of (29) autograph letters sent by Milton Moore to Mapplethorpe between 1982 – 1988. Moore, who would become the love of Mappelethorpe’s life, was also one of his most well-known models and muses, often referred to as “The Man in the Polyester Suit”. After their relationship permanently ended, Moore, a diagnosed schizophrenic, would be convicted of murder and sent to prison. These letters span the years of Moore and Mapplethorpe’s first serious break-up, their numerous reconciliations, and the photographers rise to worldwide acclaim. All are hand written and, on average, 2 – 4 pages in length. They are of a close, personal, nature, dealing with everything from the minutiae of their shared time together (the sharing of bills) to the dissolution of their relationship (the returning of personal property) to heartfelt confessions of love, bitterness and longing. These letters speak directly to the complex, conflicted, nature of Moore’s feelings for Mapplethorpe, while hinting at the Machiavellian machinations behind their relationship.