Wanda Hazel Gág^[1][2][3][4] (March 11, 1893 – June 27, 1946) was an American author, illustrator, and printmaker born in New Ulm, Minnesota.

Contents 1 Life 2 Wanda Gag Childhood Home 3 Works 3.1 Illustrated books 3.2 Selected prints 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Life

Wanda Hazel Gág (pronounced /ˈɡɑːɡ/) was the oldest of seven children. Her father Anton Gág, son of a Bohemian woodcarver, was a painter and photographer. He used his painting talent to decorate houses and churches to support his family, much of which can still be seen around the town of New Ulm. He passed along his artistic talent to all his children.

Gág’s mother was born Elisabeth Biebl. Though she was not an artist, she was a skilled storyteller. Wanda remained inspired by the German folktales told to her by her mother, her grandmother or an aunt or uncle throughout her life. Only German was spoken in the household and Wanda did not learn to speak English until she attended school.

The happiness of her childhood was cut short by the death of her father from tuberculosis. Before he died, he said to her, “Was der Papa nicht thun kont, muss die Wanda halt fertig machen” meaning what Papa has left undone, Wanda will have to do. Gág was fourteen years old and since her mother was also sick, she considered herself the head of the household and took on the responsibility of raising her six younger siblings, the youngest one only one year old.

After her father’s death, there was very little insurance money and they received only $8.00 a month from welfare to cover their expenses. Although the neighbors thought Gág should quit school and work, she continued her schooling. There were offers for adoption for the remaining children but she was determined that they should all stay together and that they should all get a good education. After she graduated high school in 1912, Gág took a job as a teacher for a year. She also took on odd jobs such as writing and illustrating magazine articles, designing greeting cards and calendars, and painting lampshades. Her first published illustration was in the Minneapolis Junior Journal, a Sunday supplement. At this time, she also started to keep a diary which she continued to do until she died.

She eventually received a scholarship to study art in St. Paul. She supported her younger siblings as best she could by sending money home, but underwent great conflict over the choice between pursuing her creativity (what she called her "Myself") or becoming a commercial artist. The conflict only intensified when Elisabeth Gág died. Though the family stayed together, they also began to pursue different paths. The strain was increased by Wanda's move to New York. The four oldest sisters were now of marriageable age and found spouses one after another, pursuing more conventional lives than Wanda; while the two youngest siblings, Howard and Flavia, followed Wanda Gág into music and art respectively and saw her as a role model. Both would live with and be supported by Gág for much of their adult lives. During this period Gág was courted by Edgar Harriman, called "Armand Emraad" in the published version of her journals.

By 1923, she decided to draw and paint only what she pleased. Gág left her job in New York to spend her summers in a country house in Connecticut and later, on a farm in New Jersey. Her beau, Earle Marshall Humphreys, would come to spend the summers with her there and to avoid gossip, she bought an inexpensive wedding ring to wear while out with him. Her summers were kept busy with gardening, drawing and painting, and she would spend her winters in New York engaged in various money-making ventures. Humphreys became her biggest supporter and marketed her ideas to anyone who would listen. By this time Wanda had also developed a lifelong friendship with Georgia O'Keeffe and Carl Zigrosser.

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 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. Gág 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.

Wanda was a chain smoker most of her life and not long after her marriage to Humphreys, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. After she and Humphreys spent the winter in Florida, they came home to New Jersey where she died on 27 June 1946. Following her cremation, her ashes were scattered along the path to her studio in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

[edit] Wanda Gag Childhood Home

The Wanda Gag House, her childhood home, is located in New Ulm, Minnesota and is open for public tours. Constructed in 1894 by Wanda's father, Anton Gág, the Queen Anne style home was restored to its original design, color and decoration. Highlights include lithographs, illustrations, authentic artwork, photography, and an exhibit of books created by Wanda and her family. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] Works

[edit] 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 Cats, 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.
• Three Gay Tales from Grimm, 1943.
• Wanda Gag’s Storybook (includes Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, and Snippy and Snappy), 1932.

[edit] 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.

[edit] References

• Hoyle, Karen Nelson. Wanda Gag. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009.
• Winnan, Audur H. Wanda Gag. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999.

[edit] External links

• Minnesota Authors Biography Project
• Life of Wanda Gag
• Wanda Gag House
• Children's Literature Network