American Gothic Photo Quiz: Gordon Parks and Ella Watson

This american gothic photo quiz stands before an American flag with a broom in hand. Play 10 interactive questions on Gordon Parks's 1942 image in Washington, D.C., Ella Watson, a cleaner in a government building, the reference to Grant Wood's 1930 painting, Parks's work for the Farm Security Administration under Roy Stryker, his later career at Life and directing films.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Who
Who took the photograph American Gothic, Washington, D.C.?
Subject
Who is the woman in the photo?
Job
What was Ella Watson's job?
Props
What does she hold?
Flag
What hangs behind her?
Paint
Which painting does the photo reference?
Agency
For which agency was Parks working?
Boss
Who led the FSA photography project?
Life
Which magazine did Parks later work for?
Film
Which 1971 film did Parks direct?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who took the photograph American Gothic, Washington, D.C.?
Answer: Gordon Parks
In 1942.
Q2: Who is the woman in the photo?
Answer: Ella Watson
A cleaner.
Q3: What was Ella Watson's job?
Answer: Cleaning a government building
In Washington.
Q4: What does she hold?
Answer: A broom and a mop
Echoing the painting.
Q5: What hangs behind her?
Answer: An American flag
A powerful contrast.
Q6: Which painting does the photo reference?
Answer: Grant Wood's American Gothic
From 1930.
Q7: For which agency was Parks working?
Answer: Farm Security Administration
Documenting American life.
Q8: Who led the FSA photography project?
Answer: Roy Stryker
A noted director.
Q9: Which magazine did Parks later work for?
Answer: Life
As a staff photographer.
Q10: Which 1971 film did Parks direct?
Answer: Shaft
A landmark film.

A Broom, a Mop and a Flag

In 1942 Gordon Parks, newly working for the Farm Security Administration under Roy Stryker in Washington, D.C., met Ella Watson, who cleaned a government building. He photographed her standing before an American flag holding a broom and a mop.

The image references Grant Wood's 1930 painting American Gothic, which shows a farmer with a pitchfork. Parks's version highlighted the racism and limited opportunities Watson faced, making a powerful statement about inequality in the nation's capital.

Parks went on to become a staff photographer for Life magazine and a film director, making The Learning Tree and Shaft in 1971. He became one of the most important Black artists of the 20th century.

What This Quiz Teaches

Photography fans will enjoy these questions.

Who took the photo
Who Ella Watson was
Which painting it echoes
Which agency Parks worked for
What he did later

Did You Know?

Parks photographed Watson's family life too.
He was also a composer and writer.
He grew up in Kansas.
He bought his first camera at a pawn shop.
A foundation preserves his work.