A bit of "Grace"

When we started this blog, Dave and I hoped to not only keep friends and family up to date on our adventures, but on life in Minnesota itself. In this post, I'll try to get back to my original purpose and share a bit of Minnesota culture with you. Seen this picture before?

It's Minnesota's "unofficial" official state picture. (I've seen sources that claim both) My great Aunt Evelyn used to have a big print of "Grace" by Eric Enstrom hanging in her house in Delight. The painting is a fairly popular option for churches and religious households all over the country.

Enstrom took this picture in 1918 in the small Minnesota mining town of Bovey. Bovey is in the northeastern part of the state, which is known as the Iron Range. When an elderly looking fellow named Charles Wilden came to his photography studio, Enstrom was supposedly impressed by the man's kindly face. The man was a peddler. Enstrom set the picture up with the gruel and glasses and bread and bible. He liked the humility, faith, and devotion it depicted. Enstrom put a print in his window and when it sold, he replaced it with another.

Enstrom thought the picture would be a smashing success at a big photography convention later that year, but it wasn't. A few years later, he believed in it enough to take it to the convention where it finally caused the stir he desired. Enstrom's daughter painted it in oils and it became more popular. Later, a publishing house picked it up and it's been their best seller since. I think there's a devotional in this story somewhere.

While researching for this bit, I came across a Minnesota blog asking if anyone outside of Minnesota had this picture hanging in their house? The answer is yes, but I'd wager few people tie it back to Minnesota.