The Sick Child

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)