farmer as the guardian of the gates of hell, Pluto, and points to the woman's cameo brooch, containing a classical representation of the mythological goddess, Proserpina, and the dangling strand of hair by the woman's right ear as representing the ravishing in the goddess's myth. Parodies and other references The Depression-era understanding of the painting as depicting an authentically American scene prompted the first well-known parody, a 1942 photo by Gordon Parks of cleaning woman Ella Watson, shot in Washington, D.C. American Gothic is a frequently parodied image. It has been lampooned in Broadway shows such as The Music Man, movies such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and television shows such as Green Acres (in the final scene of the opening credits), The Dick Van Dyke Show ("The Masterpiece" episode), in an episode of The Simpsons, and the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Artist Unknown". It has also been parodied in marketing campaigns, pornography, and by couples who recreate the image photographically by facing a camera in the same way, one of them holding a pitchfork or other object in its place. The painting famously appears in the opening titles of the television show Desperate Housewives (2004–2012). The couple from the painting was also recreated in the HBO drama Oz during one of the show's monologue segments in the episode "A Town Without Pity" during the first half of the show's fourth season. The Dibble House was not included owing to logistical and budget constraints. The couple in the introduction of Doctor Who's series 3 episode "Gridlock" also resembles that of the painting. See also Protestant work ethic Southern Gothic References Sources Further reading (contains image of first Wood sketch of the house) External links Grant Wood and Frank Lloyd Wright Compared About the painting, on the Art Institute's site Slate article about American Gothic American Gothic, French American Gothic: A Life of America's Most Famous Painting Television Commercials (1950s-1960s) contains General Mills New Country Corn Flakes commercial American Gothic sculpture removed from Michigan Avenue American Gothic Parodies collection November 18, 2002, National Public Radio Morning Edition report about American Gothic by Melissa Gray that includes an interview with Art Institute of Chicago curator Daniel Schulman. June 6, 1991, National Public Radio Morning Edition report on Iowa's celebration of the centennial of Grant Wood's birth by Robin Feinsmith. Several portions of the report focus on American Gothic. February 13, 1976, National