Couple, possibly Adam and Eve, having sexual intercourse under tree

© Delaware Art Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Not for reproduction or publica…
© Delaware Art Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Not for reproduction or publication.
Couple, possibly Adam and Eve, having sexual intercourse under tree
© Delaware Art Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Not for reproduction or publication.

Couple, possibly Adam and Eve, having sexual intercourse under tree

Date1930s
Artist (American painter, etcher, and illustrator, 1871–1951)
MediumGraphite on paper
Dimensionssheet: 10 9/16 × 7 13/16 in. (26.8 × 19.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Helen Farr Sloan, 2000
Object number2000-739
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextThroughout his career, Sloan made drawings of sexual encounters—some ribald and others earnest. Many of these appear to be set outdoors and may be referencing the story of Adam and Eve, as this one—with its prominent serpent—does. This Biblical story provided Sloan with the subject for a series satirical of cartoons for The Masses, "Adam and Eve—The True Story," which appeared in February and March of 1913.

Perhaps more surprising, Sloan kept his erotic drawings, and his widow did as well, eventually donating them to the Museum with thousands of other works.