Travel
American Gothic House And Center
If you’re passing through eastern Iowa, consider stopping by this Midwestern art icon for a few pictures and a history lesson.
In a small town in Iowa, visitors can don costumes and grab pitchforks to re-create the scene from one of the most recognizable American paintings.
During a trip to Eldon, Iowa, in 1930, artist Grant Wood spotted a simple white farmhouse with a Gothic-style window that inspired what would become “American Gothic,” his most well-known work. The Iowa native made a quick sketch of the house before returning home to Cedar Rapids.
The house that inspired artist Grant Wood’s most famous work, “American Gothic,” still stands in Eldon, Iowa, and visitors who wantto re-create the iconic scene from the 1930 painting can borrow costumes and pitchforks for their own photo shoots.
His now-famous painting hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago, which also is where it was first displayed as part of a contest. It earned third place. Odds are no one recalls the first-place winner now. If you’re traveling in Iowa, you can pay a visit to the American Gothic House — the backdrop of Wood’s 1930 painting. This Carpenter Gothic-style house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the “Dibble House.” The original part of the home was built by Catherine and Charles Dibble in 1881-1882.
“American Gothic” depicts a farmer and, presumably, his daughter in front of a house inspired by this one. Wood’s sister and his dentist served as models for the painting. The two posed separately and were never in the art studio at the same time, according to the Art Institute of Chicago.
You can tour the interior of the house on the second Saturday of the month from April through October. However, you can visit the exterior from dawn to dusk, even if the visitors center next door is closed. The American Gothic Center, which opened in 2007, has an exhibit gallery, a media room, and a gift shop.
If you want to re-enact the painting yourself, pitchforks and costumes to be used as props for photos in front of the house generally can be borrowed during visitor center hours. Staffing and weather conditions may impact the availability of costumes, though, so it can’t hurt to call ahead to check.
If you want to learn more about Grant Wood, his art, and the works of other artists, visit the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (CRMA), located about two hours north of the American Gothic House. CRMA frequently has different exhibitions, but you can also view the largest collection of Grant Wood works. Just a few minutes away is the Grant Wood Studio. Wood took art lessons in this building, and his family lived there from 1924 to 1935. He created many of his most famous paintings there, including “American Gothic” and “Woman With Plants.”
For further information about the American Gothic House and Center, visit americangothichouse.org. To learn more about the painting and the artist: www.artic.edu/artworks/6565/american-gothic and www.crma.org/grant-wood.
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