About this artwork
Grant Wood, famous for his representations of the Midwest—of which the Art Institute’s American Gothic (1930.934) is his most recognizable example—intended The Pump to be an illustration for Sinclair Lewis’s novel Main Street (1920). This image of a contemporary water pump would have been a perfect fit for Lewis’s novel about life in a midwestern town. The drawing was given to the Art Institute by Carter Manny, Jr., who received it as a high school graduation gift from the artist in 1937.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Grant Wood
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Title
- The Pump
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 1937
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Medium
- Black crayon, with touches of graphite, on cream wove card
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Dimensions
- 13.7 × 10.6 cm (5 7/16 × 4 3/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Mr. and Mrs. Carter Manny Jr. gift in honor of Ada Barnes Manny & Sara Sherman Wood
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Reference Number
- 1983.868
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.