Why it matters
One of the most famous American paintings of the 20th century, American Gothic shows a farmer and his daughter in front of a house with a Gothic window, which Wood spotted in Eldon, Iowa. He imagined 'the kind of people I fancied should live in that house', and the image has been referenced endlessly in popular culture.
Did you know?
- The models were Wood's sister Nan and the family dentist, Byron McKeeby.
- It is painted on beaverboard.
- It was first shown outside the United States in 2016–2017, in Paris and London.
Based on the Wikipedia article American Gothic (CC BY-SA 4.0).
