Courbet's Lesbian Paintings (1866)

 Gustave Courbet: Le Revei (Venus et Psyche)

  

Gustave Courbet: Le Sommeil (Sleep)

Le Sommeil was originally commissioned by the Turkish diplomat and art collector of the late Ottoman era, Halil Serif Pasha, who had lived in Paris since 1860. The painting was not permitted to be shown publicly until 1988, like a number of his other works such as L'Origine du Monde. When Le Sommeil was exhibited by a picture dealer in 1872, it became the subject of a police report. 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. [Wikipedia]