The Art of Grandma Moses
She was Living Proof that It’s Never Too Late
She was born before Abraham Lincoln took office. September 7, 1860, Anna Mary Robertson was the third out of ten children - five boys and five girls - born to farmer Russell Robertson and wife Margaret in Greenwich, New York.
Early Life
Russell Robertson enjoyed spending time with his children; instead of insisting they attend church, he took them for nature walks on Sunday mornings. He also appreciated the drawings his children made and encouraged them by purchasing large blank sheets of newspaper for them to draw on. Young Anna often used grapes, lemons and other natural items to create colors for her drawings.
Anna had no formal art education. She only attended school during the summer. Winters in Greenwich, New York were too cold and there was a lack of warm clothing in such a large family to permit Anna’s attending school during the winter months.
At the age of twelve, Anna began earning her own living by hiring herself out to homes near the family farm. She did this until the age of twenty-seven when she married Thomas Moses, the hired man on the farm where she was working at the time.
The couple honeymooned in North Carolina. On the way back home, they decided to invest in renting a farm near Staunton, Virginia. The Moses’s remained there for twenty years and had ten children, five of whom died as infants. Mrs. Moses made butter and potato chips which she sold.
The couple eventually returned to New York State where they set up a farm in Eagle Bridge. Thomas Moses died there in 1927 and his widow continued to operate the farm with the help of son, Forrest.
Painting at the Age of 76
At the age of 76, Moses was forced to give up the pleasure of embroidery. Arthritis no longer permitted her to hold a needle. However, a paintbrush was a more manageable tool and she resumed the painting she had enjoyed as a child.
She began by painting copies of prints and post cards, most notably those of Currier and Ives which had been the themes of some of her embroidery. But it didn’t take her long to begin painting scenes reminiscent of her childhood.
Moses was classified as a “primitive” or “folk” artist, a classification which usually refers to an artist who has had no formal training. Artists such as these are also considered “self-taught.“ Regardless of how she was classified, her paintings quickly became the items of art collectors and galleries throughout the world.
The Discovery of Grandma Moses
The story of Grandma Moses’ discovery is that an art collector named Louis J. Caldor was driving through the small New York town of Hoosick Falls in 1938. He happened to see some of her paintings in a drug store window and purchased all of them. They were priced at that time between three and five dollars each. He found out where she lived, drove out to Eagle Bridge and purchased ten more of her paintings.
In 1939, some of Moses’ paintings were in an exhibition of contemporary unknown artists. But it was her one-woman shows in 1940 in New York which made Grandma Moses' paintings a hot item. Reproductions of her paintings began to grace Christmas cards, tiles and fabrics around the world.
Understandably so, as her paintings depicted a simpler way of life. She used bright colors and there was a sense of optimism and cheerfulness in her work. It was obvious that Moses enjoyed what she was doing and wished for others to enjoy it as well. Since her paintings were done from her memories of her childhood on the farm, they could be considered autobiographical as well. Her paintings conjured feelings of nostalgia and appealed to a wide array of art patrons.
The popularity of Moses’ paintings were such that Moses was a guest of President and Mrs. Truman. The President even played the piano for her.
Receiving Honorary Degrees
Russell Sage College awarded Moses an honorary doctoral degree in 1949 and the Moore Institute of Art, Science and Industry followed suit in 1951. Local chapters of The Society of Mayflower Descendants traced the ancestry of Moses and invited her to become a member. She also became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Harper and Brothers published Moses’ autobiography in 1951, “My Life’s History.” In it is the notable quote by Grandma Moses, "I look back on my life like a good day's work, it was done and I feel satisfied with it. I was happy and contented, I knew nothing better and made the best out of what life offered. And life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."
Moses created over 1,000 paintings in her lifetime, twenty-five of which were created after she turned 100 years old.
Moses died at the age of 101 on December 13, 1961.
President Kennedy honored Moses by saying, "The death of Grandma Moses removed a beloved figure from American life. The directness and vividness of her paintings restored a primitive freshness to our perception of the American scene. Both her work and her life helped our nation renew its pioneer heritage and recall its roots in the countryside and on the frontier. All Americans mourn her loss."
Many of Moses’s paintings may be purchased as prints from the Bennington Museum in Vermont. These prints can also be viewed there.
Sources:
Notable Biographies
New York Times Obituary, Grandma Moses
Grandma Moses, artist
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