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Visit the Home that Inspired American Gothic
With
a population just under 1,000, the town of Eldon, located in southern Iowa, seems
an unlikely place to find one of the most famous houses in American history. But
that’s exactly where you’ll find the home that inspired the Grant
Wood painting American Gothic.
The home, built in the 1880s, has been restored by the State Historical Society of Iowa, which also owns and maintains the site for visitors. The Historical Society restored the property to its 1930 appearance so that it serves as a backdrop for visitors wanting to replicate the famous couple in the American Gothic painting. The interior of the home is not open to the public, but visitors are welcome to stand outside and take pictures at any time.
Now,
the American Gothic painting has come back to Iowa and is on loan to
the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, where the exhibit Grant Wood at 5 Turner Alley
will be on display through December 4. The painting is owned by the Art Institute
of Chicago.
Grant Wood at 5 Turner Alley offers a new look at Grant Wood’s life, artistic production and place in the world of art — before, during and after his success with American Gothic. It tells the tale of Grant Wood’s development from his teenage years to his early death at age 50, in 1942. Although the painting was meant to portray an older small-town man and his daughter, most viewers saw the couple as the epitome of an American farmer and his wife. Today, countless parodies of the painting have served to advertise products, critique social and political issues and just make people laugh. For these reasons, American Gothic is one of the most recognized paintings in the world.
The American Gothic House Historic Site is located on American Gothic
Street in Eldon. For more information, contact the State Historical Society of
Iowa, (515) 281-5111 or visit www.iowahistory.org.
