The Sick Child

J. Bond Francisco, The Sick Child, 1893, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.9
J. Bond Francisco, The Sick Child, 1893, oil on canvas, 3248 in. (81.3121.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.9
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Artwork Details

Title
The Sick Child
Date
1893
Dimensions
3248 in. (81.3121.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — female and child
  • Occupation — domestic — sewing
  • State of being — illness
  • Object — toy — doll
  • Architecture Interior — domestic — bedroom
  • Object — furniture — bed
Object Number
1991.9

Artwork Description

In The Sick Child the green walls and pale sheets emphasize the boy's flushed skin, and although his eyes are closed, he does not appear to rest comfortably. The silk clown dangling upside down by one leg from the boy's hand appears about to fall, as if the child himself has only a weak grip on life. J. Bond Francisco exhibited this painting at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the image was widely reproduced and hung on the walls of doctors' offices and hospitals. (Broun, "Director's Choice: The Sick Child," SAAM Web site)

Works by this artist (1 item)

J. Bond Francisco, The Sick Child, 1893, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.9
The Sick Child
Date1893
oil on canvas
On view

Audio

Stop 134: The Sick Child

The Sick Child
1893, oil on canvas

J. BOND FRANCISCO
Born: Cincinnati, Ohio 1863– Died: Los Angeles, California 1931

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          Smithsonian American Art Museum Director Elizabeth Broun shares her thoughts about personal favorites from the museum collection. A few years ago when the museum considered buying this painting, called The Sick Child by J. Bond Francisco, some people thought the subject was just too sentimental, too Victorian and schmaltzy. We acquired it anyway because in the early 20th century, it was one of the most famous American paintings anywhere. The artist kept it in his studio until he died, in 1931, but thousands of reproductions had been made of it and displayed in doctors' offices all across the country. The Sick Child was familiar to every parent who ever had a desperately ill child.