Grant Wood discovered this little white house with the odd window in Eldon, Iowa and it was his inspiration and backdrop for his famous painting, American Gothic.
There is a very nice welcome center here and you can rent authentic looking clothes, pitchforks, even glasses and have your pictures taken in front of the house. My husband and I did it a few years ago. I was driving through Eldon the other day and decided to stop and take another picture.
@amandal When I saw your picture with the barn backdrop today, I decided I would post this. I had taken it the other day but wasn't sure about putting it on here, so thanks for the inspiration!
I read an article not long ago about a young lady that walked away from her corporate world and moved to IA and ended up renting this house. She went from making million dollar decisions to baking apple pies and loved her new way of life. I wonder if she still lives here or if she's moved on. Neat to see a pic of the whole house.
That painting I think has become an iconic representation of Americana! That's pretty funny that you can rent the "gear" and pose in front of the house for your own version. Nice shot!
@lyndemc I haven't seen the article about the lady who lives there, but would like to. My sister said she bought an apple pie from her when she was there a year or so ago. When my friend Kim and I were there a few years ago, we thought the house was empty but heard a dog barking inside the house.
@lynnz Lynn, the article was in the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper. I didn't save a copy and I'm not having any luck finding it in the archives, most likely because I don't have a subscription. I get left over papers from a local grocery store for use in my parrot cages. I read a lot of outdated news while tending the birds. Ha. That's really neat that your sister actually bought a pie from the gal. I forgot about the fact the woman's husband died young, something that led in her decision to leave her former life and take a break in a quieter one.
@lyndemc Hi Denise, after you mentioned the article, I looked her up online. After living there for 4 years now, she is going to move out of the house and it will be for rent. I found pictures of her inside the house and even her white dog! Glad you mentioned the article.
It looks beautiful! I'm so glad you got to shoot the real house, not a replica like me. Isn't it so well-maintained? I like that the leaves are changing colors...
October 17th, 2014
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@amandal I thought of you immediately, your picture would had been great in this house.
Ian