Wanda Gág
Encyclopedia
Wanda Hazel Gág was an American
author and illustrator. She was born on March 11, 1893, in New Ulm, Minnesota
. Her mother (Elisabeth Biebl) and father (Anton) were of Bohemian descent. Both parents were artists who had met in Germany
. They had seven children, who all acquired some level of artistic talent. Wanda grew up the eldest of these, and despite their economic hardships the family was surrounded by music, art, light, and love, making it for the most part a joyous existence.
When Gág was fifteen her father died of tuberculosis
. She did not fall to depression, but became more determined than ever to make a good living from being an artist. Surely this is at least partially due to her father's final words to her: "Was der Papa nicht thun kont, muss die Wanda halt fertig machen," meaning, "What papa has left undone, Wanda must complete." Following her father's death, the Gág family was on welfare, and many people suggested that Wanda get a steady job. However, she remained in school and practiced her artistry while caring for her six younger siblings. She remained in the house until age twenty, wanting to be certain that the family could carry on on its own.
In 1917 she illustrated A Child’s Book of Folk-Lore, following which she worked on many different projects, and became a well-known artist/author. Her art exhibition in the New York Public Library
in 1923 was the true beginning of her fame. She gained a reputation as an illustrator for socialist publications such as The New Masses, and she considered hersef a feminist and advocate of free love
in the 1920s; she did not marry her lover until later in life, for instance, although she lived with him before they were wed. She was especially esteemed for her lithographs, though today if her name is known at all it is usually from her children's books, specifically the classic Millions of Cats
, which won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
in 1958. Gág also received the Newbery Honor Award for this book, and the combined effects of it and her exhibition had given her the funds she needed to carry on her work without stress.
She died in New York City
on June 27, 1946.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and illustrator. She was born on March 11, 1893, in New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....
. Her mother (Elisabeth Biebl) and father (Anton) were of Bohemian descent. Both parents were artists who had met in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They had seven children, who all acquired some level of artistic talent. Wanda grew up the eldest of these, and despite their economic hardships the family was surrounded by music, art, light, and love, making it for the most part a joyous existence.
When Gág was fifteen her father died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. She did not fall to depression, but became more determined than ever to make a good living from being an artist. Surely this is at least partially due to her father's final words to her: "Was der Papa nicht thun kont, muss die Wanda halt fertig machen," meaning, "What papa has left undone, Wanda must complete." Following her father's death, the Gág family was on welfare, and many people suggested that Wanda get a steady job. However, she remained in school and practiced her artistry while caring for her six younger siblings. She remained in the house until age twenty, wanting to be certain that the family could carry on on its own.
In 1917 she illustrated A Child’s Book of Folk-Lore, following which she worked on many different projects, and became a well-known artist/author. Her art exhibition in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
in 1923 was the true beginning of her fame. She gained a reputation as an illustrator for socialist publications such as The New Masses, and she considered hersef a feminist and advocate of free love
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
in the 1920s; she did not marry her lover until later in life, for instance, although she lived with him before they were wed. She was especially esteemed for her lithographs, though today if her name is known at all it is usually from her children's books, specifically the classic Millions of Cats
Millions of Cats
Millions of Cats is a picture book written and illustrated by Wanda Gág in 1928. The book won a Newbery Honor award in 1929, one of the few picture books to do so. Millions of Cats is the oldest American picture book still in print....
, which won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
in 1958. Gág also received the Newbery Honor Award for this book, and the combined effects of it and her exhibition had given her the funds she needed to carry on her work without stress.
She died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 27, 1946.
Works
Illustrated books
- The ABC Bunny, 1933.
- The Day of Doom by Michael Wigglesworth; illustrated by Wanda Gág, 1929.
- The Funny Thing, 1929.
- Gone is Gone; or, the Story of a Man Who Wanted to Do Housework, 1935.
- Growing Pains: Diaries and Drawings for the Years 1908-1917
- Millions of CatsMillions of CatsMillions of Cats is a picture book written and illustrated by Wanda Gág in 1928. The book won a Newbery Honor award in 1929, one of the few picture books to do so. Millions of Cats is the oldest American picture book still in print....
, 1928. - More Tales from Grimm, 1947.
- Nothing At All, 1941.
- Snippy and Snappy, 1931.
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Translator), 1938.
- Tales from Grimm, 1936.
- Nothing at All, 1941.
- Three Gay Tales from Grimm, 1943.
- Wanda Gag’s Storybook (includes Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, and Snippy and Snappy), 1932.
Selected prints
- Airtight Stove, 1933.
- Backyard Corner, 1930.
- Barnes At Glen Gardner, 1941-43.
- Behind the House, 1929.
- Evening, 1928.
- Fairy Story, 1937.
- Fireplace, 1930.
- The Forge, 1932.
- Gourds at Tumble Timbers, c. 1928.
- Interior, 1935.
- Kitchen Corner, c. 1929.
- Lamplight, 1929.
- Lantern and Fireplace, 1931-32.
- Macy's Stairway, 1940-41.
- Pie and Flowers, c. 1928.
- Spring in the Garden, 1927.
- Snowy Fields, 1932.
- Spinning Wheel, 1927.
- Pipe and Flowers, 1926.
- Ploughed Fields, 1936.
- Whodunit, 1944.
- Winter Garden, 1936.
- Winter Twilight, 1927.
See also
- Adolf DehnAdolf DehnAdolf Dehn was born in Waterville, Minnesota, November 22, 1895 and he died in New York City, May 19 1968. Two-time recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Dehn was one of the most notable lithographers of the 20th century...
- Art Students League of New YorkArt Students League of New YorkThe Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
- Peggy BaconPeggy BaconMargaret Frances "Peggy" Bacon was an American printmaker, illustrator, painter and writer.-Biography:Bacon was born May 2, 1895 in Ridgefield, Connecticut to artists Charles Roswell Bacon and Elizabeth . The eldest of three children, Bacon's two younger brothers died in infancy leaving her an...
- Harry GottliebHarry GottliebHarry Gottlieb was a painter, screen printer, lithographer, and educator based in New York City.-Biography:Harry Gottlieb was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1895. He immigrated to America in 1907, and his family settled in Minneapolis....
- Liberator (magazine)Liberator (magazine)Liberator is a radical liberal United Kingdom magazine associated with but not officially connected to the Liberal Democrats. Founded in 1970 as the magazine of the then Young Liberals, it has often published articles critical of the party leadership, in particular over the Liberal Party's debacle...
- New Masses