American Gothic, Grant Wood’s most famous painting, depicts a stern farmer (with a pitchfork) with his rather morose daughter (in an apron with a cameo pin). The backdrop features a house, which still stands near Eldon, Iowa, with an upstairs Gothic window. I think its fame comes from being so easily parodied, even by my grandparents.
The painting, first exhibited on October 30, 1930, is owned by The Art Institute of Chicago.
When our son was small, we could use our library card to check out framed copies of well-known artwork. One of them was American Gothic. Dan’s surprising question was captured by Elizabeth Clarkson Zwart, in her The Front Row column in The Des Moines Tribune, November 19, 1979:
In West Des Moines, while she was showing a copy of “American Gothic” to her 5-year-old son Dan, Mrs. Guy Kidney said Grant Wood had used his dentist as the model for the farmer.
Dan kept staring.
Then he pointed to the pitchfork.
“Is that a dentists’ tool?” he asked.
Oh, Dan — what have they been doing to you?
We drove to Chicago in 1982 and got to see American Gothic in its Art Institute home. We also enjoyed the Shedd Aquarium and two museums: The Field Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Science and Industry.
Tom Isenhart, cousin Susan’s husband, took this photo of our grandparents, Ruby and Kenneth Neal, at their farm northeast of Dexter, Iowa. Tom had been discharged from the Navy and was finishing his degree at the University of Iowa. One of his undergrad classes was a photography course. When they were back visiting relatives, Grandpa told about their centennial clothes. Tom decided to take the photo for a class project and posed them for it. Grandpa was always happy to mug for a camera. Tom had a bunch of billfold sized prints done. Grandpa handed them out!
Here’s an earlier blog post about Wood’s painting called Dinner for Threshers.
I featured a couple of books about Grant Wood a few years ago as well.
Son Dan and family recently visited friends in Atlanta, Georgia, birthplace of Coca-Cola. A parody of American Gothic (with a bottle of Coke), painted by Steve Alan Kaufman (former assistant to Andy Warhol), is part of the Pop Culture collection at the World of Coca-Cola Museum in downtown Atlanta.
It’s no wonder that American Gothic is probably the only Grant Wood painting most people know about!
Thanks to you, I also know about “Dinner for Threshers.”
Thank you, Liz!
Love Grant Wood’s work. Enjoyed your post, Joy.
Me too, John, especially the farm scenes, but also the “catty” ones–the DAR women, the woman buying a hen from a rural woman and sizing her up, etc.
I love Dan’s response to the painting! I love how a child’s mind works. I also love your grandparents’ reinactment of the painting.
Thank you so much, Darlene. Grandpa was a ham anyway, so I bet he really enjoyed it!
Your grandparents’ reinactment of the painting is spectacular. Your Grandpa looks “at home” with a pitchfork. 😀
My daughter-in-law is a graduate of the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, so I probably have seen the Grant Wood original in the museum. Thanks for the story and all the resources you posted, Joy!
Thank you, Marian. Yes, it was taken on Kenneth and Ruby’s farm! The original of American Gothic does travel once in a while, but it’s fun to see where its “real home” is.
I certainly enjoyed this post! 🙂 Chicago is a great city to visit! (My husband is from Chicago!)
Thank you, Linda. We’ve only been there a couple of times, but certainly enjoyed it! (The Museum of Science and Industry has the U-boat that was captured on the day I was born, the U-505! Son Dan’s favorite memory is of the coal mine at that museum.)
Love the image of Ruby and Kenneth! Thanks for all the links. 🙂
Thank you, Nancy. I think the links mean I was having fun!
😅
I probably fall into that category, too. Yes, it does get parodied a lot! Dan probably never wanted to see a dentist again after that.😏
You know, Dan went to a wonderful children’s dentist. Maybe what he didn’t show his patients made them think the worst!
A dentist’s tool! I love that…Dan asked a VERY good question! 🤪❤️🤪
He must have thought his children’s dentist was very good at hiding things!
Indeed! 🤪❤️🤪