Unit 6
Activity 2
American Gothic revisited
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American Gothic
revisited
Gordon Parks's 1942 portrait of government worker Ella Watson, which he famously titled American Gothic, is among the most celebrated
and influential photographs of the 20th century. Created as part of an
extensive collaboration between the photographer and his subject, it is
at once a record of one woman's position within the racial, professional,
and economic hierarchies that stratified the nation's capital and Parks's
visual reckoning with the realities of Black life in racially segregated
Washington, D.C. Remarkably layered and yet instantly legible, American Gothic communicated a complex of injustices with the barest of means: a flag, a woman, a broom, a mop. Its canny allusions to other icons of modern American visual culture, including Grant Wood's painting of the same title, strengthen the impact of what Parks described as “an indictment of America.” [...]
In January 1942, with the support of a Rosenwald Fellowship, Parks arrived in Washington, D.C., to apprentice at the Farm Security Administration (FSA). While there, he met Ella Watson, one of the women who cleaned the government offices. After learning about her family and their struggles, Parks decided to make her the subject of his first extended picture story. The resulting photographs were a breakthrough in Parks' career. Through Watson, he was able to provide an intimate, humanist perspective on Black American life by photographing their everyday activities, both the struggles and moments of joy. The series of photographs, with American Gothic at its center, conveys a remarkably intimate portrait of Watson as a multidimensional figure, vitally important – and paradoxically overlooked – within the civic sphere.
In January 1942, with the support of a Rosenwald Fellowship, Parks arrived in Washington, D.C., to apprentice at the Farm Security Administration (FSA). While there, he met Ella Watson, one of the women who cleaned the government offices. After learning about her family and their struggles, Parks decided to make her the subject of his first extended picture story. The resulting photographs were a breakthrough in Parks' career. Through Watson, he was able to provide an intimate, humanist perspective on Black American life by photographing their everyday activities, both the struggles and moments of joy. The series of photographs, with American Gothic at its center, conveys a remarkably intimate portrait of Watson as a multidimensional figure, vitally important – and paradoxically overlooked – within the civic sphere.
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Path A
B1
1-A
What objects and symbols can you see in the photo? What do you think they represent?
2-A
Who was Ella Watson? Write three facts you have learnt about her.
3-A
Pick two quotes that show what Gordon Parks hoped to communicate through his work.
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Path B
B1+
1-B
What aspects of Ella Watson's life and work made her an important subject for Gordon Parks's photographs?
2-B
In the main photo, how do the objects and composition create a message or opinion?
3-B
Compare Parks's American Gothic to the original painting with this title. What message is Parks sending by reusing the title and visual style?
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Let's talk this out!
4
Summarize what the photo and text reveal about Ella Watson's life.
5
How does the photograph challenge common ideas about American identity and work?
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Write an exhibition label.
Gordon Parks's American Gothic is displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.As a curator, your job is to write a clear, engaging label for visitors that explains the meaning or message of the photograph, presents Ella Watson's story, and illustrates why this image is important in American history and culture.
Une erreur sur la page ? Une idée à proposer ?
Nos manuels sont collaboratifs, n'hésitez pas à nous en faire part.
j'ai une idée !
Oups, une coquille
