American Gothic (photograph)
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American Gothic is a photograph of Ella Watson, an American charwoman, taken by the photographer Gordon Parks in 1942. It is a reimagining of the 1930 painting American Gothic by Grant Wood.
Alt text: Black and white photo of a somber middle-aged black janitress wearing rimless glasses and a polka dot dress stares off to the side. She holds a corn broom head up and a wet mop head up in front of her. A large American Flag hangs vertically in the background, slightly out of focus.
American Gothic (1930), by Grant Wood
Ella Watson, with an adopted daughter and three of her grandchildren
Uncropped version of the photo
Gordon Parks
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Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks was an American photographer, composer, author, poet, and filmmaker, who became prominent in U.S. documentary photojournalism in the 1940s through 1970s—particula
Parks at the Civil Rights March on Washington, 1963
Gordon Parks next to his piano, photograph by David Finn (late 1980s)