This paper is divided into two parts. The first part, "Speaking Pictures and Visual Poems," briefly considers the origin of the term "sister arts." Discussed are the three main features of the historical relationship between painting and literature in the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain and draws out their educational implications. Part 2, "Teaching the Sister Arts," deals more explicitly with teaching. Examples of recent "pairs" of paintings and poems are discussed in which can be observed both the poets' responses to their chosen paintings and some students' responses to a painting and a poem it inspired. The paper concludes with a brief comment on the pedagogical benefits that can accrue from working with such materials and methods which, by their name, define the role of the collaborative reader of two interrelated art forms. (EH)