How "Grace," widespread portrait of an elderly man bowing in prayer, became Minnesota's state photograph
It's a photograph found in homes across the country, and even overseas. The picture "Grace" shows a man bowing his head in prayer with food and what appears to be a Bible in front of him.
There are ups and downs in any little town. But if you take a stroll through Bovey, Minnesota, you'll find a certain kind of "Grace." It's on the banners and benches, and you'll even see it on street corners.
"We also have bike racks where the sun shines through them and projects the picture of 'Grace' on the sidewalk," said Nancilyn Meyer, Bovey City Council member.
The story can be found in a downtown memorial about why a simple photograph says so much.
"A lot of people come in here and they go, 'That looks just like my grandpa,'" said Lilah Crowe.
Crowe is with the Itasca County Historical Society in nearby Grand Rapids, where they have a "Grace" exhibit. She said in 1918, Eric Enstrom, a photographer and Swedish immigrant, decided to take pictures of fellow Swedish immigrant Charles Wilden.
"He took 10 pictures of him," said Crowe. "And he had to sit praying like that for all 10 of them."
Everything you see in the picture, including the kitchen table, came from Enstrom's Bovey apartment. He liked the way it turned out and entered it in a Minnesota photo contest, but lost because he didn't use enough light. So being a perfectionist, Enstrom made changes.
"He changed the negative using a fine, little metal tool and he scratched out the window," said Crowe. "And he made it look like light flowing down to him onto that table."
In some prints, he used dyes to alter Wilden's beard and hair, and he even changed the color of the porridge sitting on the table. People instantly fell in love with the image, and it spread across the country. It became a national symbol of prayer and hope during World War I.
Eventually, Augsburg Publishing in St. Paul gained the rights to the picture and made it look more like a painting. In 2000, Gov. Jesse Ventura and lawmakers pushed for "Grace" to become the state photograph. The bill passed unanimously.
"The only state in the United States to have an official state photograph," said Crowe.
Enstrom wasn't just known for "Grace." He took the first professional pictures of Judy Garland when she was just 2 years old. He died in 1968, but the small town he helped put on the map has never forgotten him. There's now a mural on the side of his old studio.
In the Bovey City Council chambers, you'll find one of Enstrom's original pictures of "Grace." He hand-tinted the piece and signed it before he gave it to the city.
Across the street, Annabella's Antique Mall serves a "Grace" blend of coffee, and it frequently sells out.
"Every day people come in looking for the picture 'Grace' and they want to know the whole story," said Gina Bemrose, of Annabella's Antique Mall. "We've gotten pretty good at reciting it."
It's a story about immigrants, a camera and being grateful for what you have.
"I have people who come here from Sweden, from Italy, all over and they go, 'We have this picture,'" said Crowe. "It just brings that emotional tie to everybody."
Wilden, who was a salesman, signed away his rights to the photo for $5 in 1927. That would be the equivalent of $87 today.