This is a story about the home in the background, avert your eyes from the handsome farmer in the frontAmerican Gothic, what can you say? Everyone knows the original, everyone loves the parodies of it. It's an American classic and it's very much Iowan. The painter (Grant Wood), the two subjects of the painting (Wood's sister and dentist) and even the background of the painting all have Iowa origins.
The house with the gothic window on the top floor (thus the name of the painting) still stands in Eldon, Iowa (a little under two hours southwest of Iowa City) and has become a destination for families, couples and individuals who want to make their own art masterpiece.
The home was built in the 1880s and discovered by Wood in 1930, who decided to paint who he imagined lived in the house. Amazingly, neither Wood's sister or his dentist actually modeled in front of the house or even modeled together -- each part of the painting was done separately.
The house was lived in even after the painting became famous before being placed on the National Register in 1974. The house is closed on the inside and the back of the house is not supposed to be visited (there actually is another Gothic window on the backside of the home), but the trip is worth making for the new American Gothic House Center across the street and a chance to be a part of an American and Iowa classic. Just remember to bring your pitchfork.
The house with the gothic window on the top floor (thus the name of the painting) still stands in Eldon, Iowa (a little under two hours southwest of Iowa City) and has become a destination for families, couples and individuals who want to make their own art masterpiece.
The home was built in the 1880s and discovered by Wood in 1930, who decided to paint who he imagined lived in the house. Amazingly, neither Wood's sister or his dentist actually modeled in front of the house or even modeled together -- each part of the painting was done separately.The house was lived in even after the painting became famous before being placed on the National Register in 1974. The house is closed on the inside and the back of the house is not supposed to be visited (there actually is another Gothic window on the backside of the home), but the trip is worth making for the new American Gothic House Center across the street and a chance to be a part of an American and Iowa classic. Just remember to bring your pitchfork.
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