Ace of Hearts
Datec. 1910
Artist
John Sloan
(American painter, etcher, and illustrator, 1871–1951)
MediumInk wash, colored ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensionssheet: 10 7/16 × 7 15/16 in. (26.5 × 20.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of Helen Farr Sloan, 2000
Object number2000-740a
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
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.