Wanda Gág, Part 1

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Apr 21, 2025

Explore the fascinating life of Wanda Gág, a pioneering artist and children’s book author. Delve into her unusual childhood shaped by loss and resilience, witnessing how her father's death molded her ambition. Discover her struggles balancing family responsibilities with artistic dreams and the challenges she faced on her path to art school. Uncover the intricacies of her relationships and artistic evolution, leading to a legacy that continues to inspire. Gág's journey is a remarkable tale of creativity, hardship, and determination.

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ANECDOTE

Artistic Childhood Foundation

Wanda Gág grew up in a home where artistic expression was deeply ingrained and taken for granted.
Her father painted on Sundays in a studio, and the family embraced creativity as vital as eating and sleeping.

ANECDOTE

Teenager as Family Breadwinner

At 15, Wanda balanced making art and writing while managing household chores and caring for siblings.
She felt the burden of family responsibility after her father’s death, often making dinner for her mother.

ANECDOTE

Art School Patron Support

Wanda received a patron's financial support enabling her to attend art school despite family financial hardships.
Charles Weske covered her board and supplies, allowing her to focus fully on her art education.

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The Boxcar Children

Dorothy Gregory

Shannon Eric Denton

L. Kate Deal

Gertrude Chandler Warner

Mike Dubisch

The story follows Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, who become orphans and fear living with their grandfather due to misconceptions about his character. They establish a self-sufficient home in an abandoned boxcar, demonstrating remarkable resourcefulness by scavenging supplies, adopting a dog named Watch, and working odd jobs. The children eventually reunite with their kindhearted grandfather, who transforms the boxcar into a cherished family symbol.

Snippy and Snappy

Wanda Hazel Gág

In 'Snippy and Snappy', Wanda Gág tells the story of two curious field mice who venture away from home while playing with their mother's yarn ball. Their journey leads them to a house filled with mysterious objects, where they encounter a mousetrap and are rescued by their father. The book features Gág's signature black and white illustrations, capturing the wonder and playfulness of their adventures.

Growing Pains

Diaries and Drawings for the Years 1908-1917

Wanda Gág

Growing Pains is a collection of Wanda Gág's early diaries and drawings, first published in 1940. It provides a personal and often humorous insight into her youth and her journey to becoming a renowned artist and author. The book spans the years 1908-1917 and offers a unique perspective on her development as an artist.

The Funny Thing

A companion to the book, Millions of Cats, this is the story of Bobo, the good little man of the mountains, who feeds all the animals. When the Funny Thing who only eats dolls arrives, Bobo has to trick it into adopting another diet. Black-and-white illustrations.

Wanda Gág

Millions of Cats

Wanda Gág

The story follows an elderly couple who are very lonely and decide to adopt a cat. The husband sets off to find a beautiful cat but ends up discovering a hillside covered in millions of cats. He decides to take all of them home, which leads to a series of problems, including the cats consuming all the water and food, and eventually fighting over which one is the prettiest. In the end, only one skinny cat remains, which the couple takes in and cares for, realizing it was the prettiest of all.

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

Wanda Gág

As an artist and writer Wanda Gág is well known for her children’s books. But this first of two parts about her life covers her own unusual childhood, which went from quirky fun to intense hardship when her father died.

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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