On View
On viewObject number2012.45
American Gothic, Washington, D.C.
Artist
Gordon Parks
(American, 1912 - 2006)
Date1942
Mediumgelatin silver print
Dimensionsframed: 26 1/2 × 21 1/2 in. (67.3 × 54.6 cm)
image: 17 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (43.8 × 31.8 cm)
image: 17 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (43.8 × 31.8 cm)
Credit LineAcquired through the generosity of an anonymous donor
Exhibition History"Copley to Kentridge: What's New in the Collection?," KIA (Sept.14 - Dec. 1, 2013).
"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).
"Framing Moments: Photography from KIA's Permanent Collection," KIA (Feb. 6 - May 16, 2021)
"Common Ground: African American Art from the Flint Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and the Muskegon Museum of Art," FIA, Flint, Michigan (Feb. 8 - Apr. 26, 2015), KIA, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Aug. 21 - Nov. 15, 2015), Muskegon Museum of Arts, Muskegon, Michigan
"Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change," at the KIA (September 14, 2019 - February 16, 2020)
"Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change," [Travel Version] at the Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI (June 6, 2021 - August, 15, 2021)Label TextThis portrait of Ella Watson, a custodian for the U.S. government, is one of Gordon Parks' most widely recognized images. Standing before an American flag, holding a broom and mop, Watson recalls Grant Wood’s celebrated 1930 painting of the same name, which depicts the idealism of a prospering white America. Searching for mentors to help him cope and survive the hostility he encountered, Parks approached Mrs. Watson, who told him of her struggles, including her father’s lynching and a murdered husband. “I felt that I must photograph this woman in a way that would make me feel—or make the public feel—what Washington, D.C. was in 1942.” Parks’ American Gothic, Washington, D.C., image conveys an alternative perspective that reflects the limitations many African Americans faced despite promises of opportunity and citizenship, becoming a powerful portrayal of dignity, labor, and the unfinished pursuit of equality in America.
[Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]
