WANDA GÁG

Wanda Gág composed this scene of a stone crusher on sandpaper, a drawing surface she liked for its grit and sparkle and for the way it suited her rugged outdoor subjects. Here she depicts the hulking piece of farm equipment in her characteristic short, wiggly brushstrokes. Gág’s whimsical drawing style brings the machine to life: the stone crusher looms over the landscape like some sort of dinosaur, while the surrounding trees appear to vibrate in greeting. In the 1920s and ’30s, Gág made a living authoring and illustrating storybooks for children. Her imagination and wit—apparent in this lively drawing—turned her books into beloved classics. Millions of Cats, which she published in 1928, is the oldest American children’s book still in print.