Willa Cather

Object Details

Artist

Edward Jean Steichen, 27 Mar 1879 - 25 Mar 1973

Sitter

Willa Sibert Cather, 7 Dec 1873 - 24 Apr 1947

Exhibition Label

Born Back Creek Valley (now Gore), Virginia

At nine years old, Willa Cather moved from the rolling hills of Virginia to the flat expanses of Nebraska. She spent most of her adulthood in New York City but regularly returned to her hometown of Red Cloud. There, on the Great Plains, is where she sourced the subject matter for her novels. Following the publication of O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918), Sinclair Lewis remarked: “The United States knows Nebraska because of Willa Cather’s books.” One of Ours (1922), her fifth of twelve novels, won the Pulitzer Prize. She also published six collections of short fiction, books of poetry, and nonfiction.

In this photograph by Edward Steichen, which ran in a 1927 issue of Vanity Fair, Cather is shown wearing her signature white shirt and tie. She eschewed traditional gender roles, and some scholars speculate that she wrote My Ántonia from a male perspective so that she could express her desire for women.

Nacida en Back Creek Valley (hoy Gore), Virginia

A los nueve años, Willa Cather dejó atrás las colinas de Virginia por las vastas planicies de Nebraska. Pasó la mayor parte de su adultez en la ciudad de Nueva York, pero regresaba con frecuencia a su pueblo de Red Cloud. Allí, en las Grandes Llanuras, encontró el material de sus novelas. Luego de publicarse Pioneros (1913) y Mi Ántonia (1918), Sinclair Lewis comentó: “Estados Unidos conoce Nebraska gracias a los libros de Willa Cather”. Uno de los nuestros (1922), la quinta de sus 12 novelas, ganó el Premio Pulitzer. También publicó seis colecciones de relatos cortos y libros de poesía y no-ficción.

En esta fotografía tomada por Edward Steichen y publicada en 1927 en Vanity Fair, Cather lleva su típica camisa blanca con corbata. Rechazaba los roles de género tradicionales y varios estudiosos especulan que escribió Mi Ántonia desde un punto de vista masculino para poder expresar su deseo por las mujeres.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired in memory of Agnes and Eugene Meyer through the generosity of Katharine Graham and the New York Community Trust, The Island Fund

1927

Object number

NPG.2001.17

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Conde Nast

Type

Photograph

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 23.9 x 19.3cm (9 7/16 x 7 5/8")

Sheet: 25.3 x 20.2cm (9 15/16 x 7 15/16")

Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Interior

Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie

Willa Sibert Cather: Female

Willa Sibert Cather: Literature\Writer\Poet

Willa Sibert Cather: Journalism and Media\Editor

Willa Sibert Cather: Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher

Willa Sibert Cather: Literature\Writer\Novelist

Willa Sibert Cather: Pulitzer Prize

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2001.17

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4db22fa0f-bb55-4008-9510-0b61f0ef0084