Wanda Gág, Part 2

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Apr 23, 2025

Wanda Gág's journey from a struggling artist to a celebrated children's author is captivating. Her breakthrough with 'Millions of Cats' not only supported her financially but also shaped her unique voice. The podcast delves into her Bohemian roots and the societal pressures she faced, exploring her resilience amid personal challenges. Reflection on her marriage and health struggles adds depth to her story. Plus, hear intriguing insights about her lasting legacy in children's literature and the impact of her work.

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ANECDOTE

Wanda's Early Family Life Essay

Wanda Gág's essay "A Hotbed of Feminists" shared her experience growing up in a large, mostly female family.
It revealed their non-religious, bohemian upbringing and the family's financial struggles after her father's death.

ANECDOTE

Publishing Breakthrough with "Millions of Cats"

Ernestine Evans, an editor, found Wanda Gág through her essay or exhibition and offered her a publishing contract.
This led Wanda to publish her first groundbreaking children's book, "Millions of Cats," in 1928.

INSIGHT

Innovative and Dark Storytelling

"Millions of Cats" featured a unique integrated design combining text and illustrations fluidly across pages.
The dark, cautionary tale mirrors older, ghoulish folk stories, reflecting Wanda's cultural background.

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After struggling to raise her siblings and start an art career, Wanda Gág’s life changed almost instantly with the publication of her first children’s book. Part two of her story looks at how her books sustained her financially so she could also make the art she wanted.

Research:

Anderson, Phil. "Gág, Wanda (1893–1946)." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. http://www.mnopedia.org/person/g-g-wanda-1893-1946
Cox, Richard W. “Wanda Gág The Bite of the Picture Book.“ Minnesota History. Fall 1975. https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-org-support/mn_history_articles/44/v44i07p238-254.pdf?__hstc=98931905.4376bcd11fc21fde4cdd335d087cb15e.1742826273001.1742826273001.1742826273001.1&__hssc=98931905.1.1742826273001&__hsfp=979038277
Cox, Richard, and Julie L’Enfant. “Old World Symphony.” Minnesota History. Spring 1996. https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-org-support/mn_history_articles/55/v55i01p002-015.pdf?__hstc=98931905.4376bcd11fc21fde4cdd335d087cb15e.1742826273001.1742826273001.1742826273001.1&__hssc=98931905.1.1742826273001&__hsfp=979038277
Gág , Wanda. “Growing Pains.” Coward-McCann. 1940. https://ia801401.us.archive.org/10/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.88331/2015.88331.Growing-Pains-Diaries-And-Drawings-For-The-Years-1908-1917.pdf
Gág , Wanda. “Millions of Cats.” Coward-McCann. 1928. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Millions_of_Cats/2YjWAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Gág , Wanda. “The Funny Thing.” Coward-McCann. 1991. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Funny_Thing/c1nhAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Gág , Wanda. “SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS.” Coward-McCann. 1938. Accessed online: https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/Gág -snow/Gág -snow-00-h-dir/Gág -snow-00-h.html
Gág , Wanda. “Snippy and Snappy. Coward-McCann. 1931. Accessed online: https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/Gág -snippy/Gág -snippy-00-h-dir/Gág -snippy-00-h.html
Gregory, Alice. “Juicy As a Pear: Wanda Gág’s Delectable Books.” The New Yorker. April 24, 2014. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/juicy-as-a-pear-wanda-ggs-delectable-books?_sp=0d46b6ea-f03e-46b9-aa69-dd7bd3c6100b.1742826428861
Hurley, Beatrice J. “Wanda Gág - Artist, Author.” Elementary English, vol. 32, no. 6, 1955, pp. 347–54. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41384370
Keller, Sara. “Reciprocal Connections: Wanda Gág and her Hometown Community of new Ulm, Minnesota.” Kappa Omicron Nu. https://publications.kon.org/urc//v9/Interconnected-Through-Art/keller.pdf
Popova, Maria. “Pioneering Early-Twentieth-Century Artist and Creative Entrepreneur Wanda Gág on Our Two Selves and How Love Lays Its Claim on Us.” The Marginalian. March 11, 2015. https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/03/11/wanda-Gág -growing-pains-me-myself/#:~:text=By%20Maria%20Popova,was%20already%20on%20her%20deathbed.
Scott, Alma. “Wanda Gág : The Story of an Artist.” Kessinger Publishing. 2007.
Showalter, Elaine. “These Modern Women: Autobiographical Essays from the Twenties.” Feminist Press at CUNY. 1989.
“Wanda Gág.” Wanda Gág https://wandaGág house.org/wanda-Gág /
Wigglesworth, Michael. “The Day of Doom.” Spiral Press. 1929. Accessed online: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x000889310&seq=9
Winnan, Audur H. “Wanda Gág .” University of Minnesota Press. 1993.

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