Art and Design Commons^™

Yellow Nancy, A Graphic Narrative, Susan Borchek Smith

2016 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity - Documents

Charlotte Perkins Stetson Gilman (1860-1935) was an accomplished American author who suffered from depression and post-partum depression. Her short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written in June 1890, could be considered both a brief autobiography and a call for help. This well-known work tells the story of a woman trapped within her own declining mental health, using subtle, visual language and downward spiraling imagery to illustrate a woman imprisoned in her own mind, succumbing to the loss of control of her own sanity.