Help ID intriguing picture of two boys lying under white sheets with eyes open

surfingsandhya · 06:13 PM

Hello Fellow Art Lovers,

I have what looks like a greeting card with a captivating image of two boys lying under white sheets with their eyes wide open, and only their faces showing. They might be brothers, or even twins, because they look so alike. The image was cropped to fit the card, because there is a shadow of someone else's face in the upper right corner.

There is no identifying information on the back of the card. I do know the card is at least 30 years old, but that does not mean the image is from the 1970's, it could be from earlier.

It struck me as possibly being a children's book illustration which is where I have been focusing my research so far, but no luck. Any leads, guesses or even suggestions where to look further would be appreciated.

Thank you.

John · September 3rd, 2009, 05:37 PM

It's "Sleepers", by George Tooker. I can't find it on a web page, but you can see it in a book that's viewable in Google Books. Click here to do the search.

surfingsandhya · September 3rd, 2009, 06:21 PM

Ohmigosh, that's it!

Armed with the title and artist, I was able to find more info about the painting for anyone who might be interested:

Title: Sleepers, II
Creator: George Tooker (born 1920) , American
Period: Twentieth century
Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States
Inventory #:370.196
Location Note: Larry Aldrich Foundation Fund
Material: tempera on wood panel
Date: 1959

I have attached a scan of the complete painting as well.

John, thank you so much for identifying this for me, I really appreciate it.

Best,
Sandhya

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September 3rd, 2009, 05:37 PM	#2
John John Malyon, host Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 2,401	It's "Sleepers", by George Tooker. I can't find it on a web page, but you can see it in a book that's viewable in Google Books. Click here to do the search.