Grant Wood studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago between 1913 and 1916. Between 1937 and 1941, he created 19 lithographs that were published by Associated American Artist (A.A.A.), a private gallery and publisher. A.A.A had a unique approach to marketing, offering printed images of American life in large editions (usually 250 prints) at reasonable prices via mail order and through regional stores such as Marshall Field’s in Chicago.
This lithograph gained notoriety for its full-frontal portrayal of a nude man; the U.S. Post Office banned A.A.A. from mailing the print because it was considered obscene. As a result, only 100 impressions were made.