Gustave Courbet - The sleepers

• Title: The sleepers
• Artist: Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)
• Date: 1866
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 158 x 224 cm

"The sleepers" was originally commissioned by the Turkish diplomat and art collector of the late Ottoman era, Halil Şerif Paşa, who had lived in Paris since 1860. The painting was not permitted to be shown publicly, like a number of Courbet's other works such as L'Origine du monde. When the painitng was exhibited by a picture dealer in 1872, it became the subject of a police report. An anecdot reported is that one of the models for the painting was Joanna Hiffernan, who was the mistress of fellow painter James Abbott Whistler at the time. Whistler's relationship with Hiffernan ended soon afterwards, and his opinion of Courbet soured.

The Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures describes Le Sommeil as a "famous" painting. The painting created an impact in 19th-century art, because after the public display of Le Sommeil, a number of contemporary artists were influenced by the theme of lesbian couples. Repetition of this theme helped to lower the taboos associated with lesbian relationships.[3]