Wanda Gág Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, Illustrator, b. 1893 - d. 1946

Wanda Hazel Gág (March 11, 1893–June 27, 1946) was an American artist, author, translator, and illustrator. She is best known for writing and illustrating the children's book Millions of Cats, the oldest American picture book still in print. Gág was also a noted printmaker, receiving international recognition and awards.Growing Pains, a book of excerpts from the diaries of her teen and young adult years, received critical acclaim. Her books were awarded Newbery Honors and Caldecott Honors.

Born March 11, 1893, in New Ulm, Minnesota, to Elisabeth Biebl Gag and the artist and photographer Anton Gag, the eldest of seven children. When still a teen, her illustrated story Robby Bobby in Mother Goose Land was published in The Minneapolis Journal in their Junior Journal supplement. When she was 15, her father died of tuberculosis; his final words to her were: "Was der Papa nicht thun konnt', muss die Wanda halt fertig machen." (What Papa couldn't do, Wanda will have to finish.) Following Anton's death the Gag family was on welfare and some townspeople thought that Wanda should quit high school and get a steady job to help support her family. Despite this pressure, Wanda continued her studies. After graduating (in 1912) she taught country school in Springfield, Minnesota, from November 1912 to June 1913.