American Gothic

Hello there. I hang on a big, quiet wall in a museum, and people come to look at me all day long. What do they see. They see two people with very serious faces. There is a man holding a pointy tool called a pitchfork, and beside him stands a woman with her hair pulled back neatly. Behind them is a little white house with a very special window right at the top. It’s tall and pointy, like a window you might see on a big, old church. The man and woman don’t smile. They just stare straight ahead. What do you think they are thinking about. Are they tired from a long day of work on their farm. Or are they proud of their nice, clean home. I hold their secret in my paint.

My story began a long, long time ago, in the year 1930. An artist named Grant Wood was visiting a small town in the state of Iowa. As he was looking around, he spotted that little white house with the fancy, pointy window. He thought it was a bit funny. That window seemed so grand for such a simple house. It made him imagine what kind of people would live inside. He decided right then that he would paint a picture of them. But he needed someone to be in his painting. So, who did he ask. He asked his own sister, Nan, and his family dentist, a man named Dr. McKeeby. He told them to look very serious, like old-fashioned folks from long ago. Grant painted his sister wearing a pretty apron and a pin from his mother, and he painted the dentist holding a pitchfork to look like a hardworking farmer. He wanted them to look like a father and daughter who were proud of their home and their life.

After Grant Wood finished painting me, he sent me to a huge art show in a big city called Chicago. And guess what happened. I became famous almost overnight. People looked at me and had so many different ideas. Some people thought the man and woman looked sad or maybe a little bit grumpy. Other people thought they looked strong, brave, and proud. Over the years, I became so well-known that people started having fun with me. They would dress up like the people in my picture and take their own photos, holding a pitchfork and making a serious face. You might even see cartoons that look just like me. Even though I show a quiet moment from long ago, I still make people wonder and smile today. I am a reminder that even ordinary people and simple houses can become an extraordinary, or very special, piece of art that everyone can share.