Ten of Hearts
Datec. 1910
MediumGraphite on Bristol board
Dimensionscomposition: 10 15/16 × 7 13/16 in. (27.8 × 19.8 cm)
sheet: 14 1/4 × 11 1/4 in. (36.2 × 28.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Helen Farr Sloan, 1986
Object number1986-133.650b
Label TextIn his diary, Sloan noted that a publisher from the American edition of the Strand Magazine asked him to "draw a design (humorous) about a playing card." This likely refers to what is called a "transformation card"--when an artist takes the traditional pips (hearts, diamonds, etc.) of a card and builds an imaginative design around it. In December of 1910, the English edition of the Strand Magazine published an article "Playing-Card 'Squiggles'" about this practice, and they later published examples sent in by readers and artists.
