Grant Wood
United States, 1892-1942 Fertility, 1939
Lithograph
Museum purchase: Swannie Smith Zink Fund 1959.0007
In this work we see a “check-rowed” cornfield which allowed for cultivating in alternate directions. Before the advent of tractors the rows were spaced more widely than today (42 inches instead of 36 inches) in order to make room for the horse to pass through (Flory & Fishburn). This barn boasts a Gothic roof, which is similar to a gambrel roof but made with curved rafters.
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