Wanda Gag

Wanda Gág (March 11, 1893-June 27, 1946) was an author and illustrator born in New Ulm, Minnesota in 1893. The Minneapolis Journal published her first illustrated story when Wanda was only a teenager. After her father died when she was fifteen, Wanda continued attending school despite financial difficulties, eventually studying at The Saint Paul School of Art, The Minneapolis School of Art, and The Art Students League in New York. She moved to New York and enjoyed a successful career as an illustrator.

As an artist, Gág was known for her prints of landscapes and moody portraits of everyday life. She authored—as well as illustrated—ten books for children, including the classic Millions of Cats, which won a Newbery Medal. Some of Gág’s work also touches on proto-feminist themes, and she was interested in fairy tales, even publishing a translated and illustrated book of Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Gág’s other works include ABC Bunny and Nothing at All.