The photograph “Grace,” depicting an elderly man bowing his head and giving thanks, was taken in Bovey, Minnesota in 1918 by Eric Enstrom, and was adopted as the official state photograph in 2002. A copy of the photograph is on display in the secretary of state's office in St. Paul.

The Minnesota state photograph "Grace" by Eric Enstrom depicts traveling salesman Charles Wilden in Bovey, Minnesota. The painting of an old devout man praying over a bowl of gruel and a loaf of bread in front of a Bible is one of the most popular pieces of 20th century American art.

Around 1920, the photographer Eric Enstrom took a picture of a white-bearded visitor to his studio in Bovey. The resulting image, which Enstrom called “Grace,” gained international recognition and was designated Minnesota's official state photograph in 2002.

But do you know the story behind it? Painted by Rhoda Nyberg, this famous portrait is from a photograph taken in 1918 by Mrs. Nyberg's father, Eric Enstrom, a photographer from Bovey, Minnesota. Popular evangelical blogger Justin Taylor recently did some research on the famous piece and here is what he discovered…