Anna Mary Robertson was born on September 7, 1860 in upstate New York. She grew up rather happily on the family farm, and at age twelve she took work as what was then called a hired girl, learning domestics and household management. She married another hired hand named Thomas Moses and the couple moved to Virginia to start a farm of their own. Anna had ten children; five survived to adulthood. She understandably never had much time to think about creating art at this point of her life, yet she had always felt a certain aesthetic sensibility and love of color. Her earliest painting pigments came from berries, grapes and lemon juice.
The Moses eventually returned to upstate New York and purchased another farm in small, rural Eagle Bridge. Anna’s eye for a picturesque scene led her to paint special Christmas present pictures every now and then, but it wasn’t until her husband passed away that she began to focus on more frequent artistic expression. Initially, Anna used the craft-like method of yarn-stitching for her landscapes, but with encouragement from her family she soon turned to oil paint.
From Grandmother to Grandma Moses
Because Anna was in her seventies when unexpected fame came her way, her folksy public image as "Grandma" Moses took shape. Many of her paintings were remembered rustic scenes, fleeting glimpses of the past in a changing world, described by Anna herself as "historical landmarks of long ago, bridges, mills and hostelries, those old-time homes…they are going fast."
Moses’ style was self-taught and naïve yet with a definite eye for composition and skilled use of color. Her work was first spotted by collector Louis Caldor in a Hoosick Falls, New York drugstore, a connection which ultimately led to gallery representation, inclusion in a Museum of Modern Art show, a visit to the White House with then-President Harry S. Truman, a television interview with Edward R. Murrow, the publication of an autobiography, advertising commissions—and the generally spry and quirky presence of Grandma Moses within the American and international art world.
The popularity of Grandma Moses most likely stemmed from the anxious social climate of mid-20th century America and a need to hearken back to what were often perceived as better times. Anna’s no-nonsense personality and strong work ethic also personified the American pioneer spirit, and her simple and straightforward approach to painting appealed to those who did not care for Abstract Expressionism, minimalism or Pop Art. She celebrated second chances as well, with her creative career beginning to flourish in her widowhood and senior years.
Later Years and Legacy
Along with her late-blooming fame, Grandma Moses enjoyed a long life. Her one-hundredth birthday in 1960 brought honors and the official naming of Grandma Moses Day in New York State, and she marked yet another birthday in September of 1961.
In December of the same year, however, Anna passed away in Hoosick Falls at the age of 101. She had kept working for as long as she could, and her death was noted by then-President John F. Kennedy, who praised the "directness and vividness of her paintings" and how her art "restored a primitive freshness to our perception of the American scene." Such paintings like Sugaring Off, Early Skating, The Quilting Bee and My Hills of Home can be seen in various American and worldwide museums, with the self-described "daydreams" of Grandma Moses helping to preserve bygone memories for generations to come.
Sources
- American Women Artists -- Charlotte Streifer Rubinstein (Avon Press, 1982)
- The Old Lady of Eagle Bridge -- Time Magazine
- Grandma Moses Obituary -- New York Times
