The American Gothic House, also known as the Dibble House, is a house in Eldon, Iowa designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window. It was the backdrop of the 1930 painting American Gothic by Grant Wood. Generally considered Wood's most famous work and among the most recognized paintings in twentieth century American art, the painting is the model for hundreds of parodies across every creative medium. Grant Wood, who observed the house only once in his lifetime, made only an initial sketch of the house—he completed American Gothic at his studio in Cedar Rapids.
First owned by Eldon resident Charles Dibble after its construction in 1881 and 1882, the home was (with one 1897 exception) a private residence until the late twentieth century. After a thirty-year preservation effort culminated with the donation of the house in 1991 to the State Historical Society of Iowa, the site now includes the original house in its 1930 form and a visitors center. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. From 1991 to 2008, various caretakers continued to rent the home privately.
Read more about American Gothic House: Early History and Architecture, American Gothic, Later History and Current Status
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—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
“A Gothic cathedral affirms that it was done by us and not done by us.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)