American Garlic


 by Glen L. Bledsoe 

"American Garlic" by Woodrow Grant (1938) is one of the most famous paintings of all time and certainly the most famous of the 20th century. It is instantly recognizable and has been the subject of countless parodies and pastiches of which viewers have doubtless grown tired of. It depicts a garlic farmer with his three daughters standing in front of their home. The models for the painting were Gasper French, a local used car salesman, and Grant's three nieces who, according to them "Uncle Woody promised to take us to Marshall Fields in Chicago for a shopping trip." Whether that trip happened is the subject of some dispute. Marianne, one of his nieces remembers the trip, but the other two deny that it ever took place. The painting purchased in 1939 by the Chicago Painting and Sculpture Museum for a mere $150 even taking inflation into account is worth several times that today. Wise investing!

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