Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses)


Paintings by Grandma Moses provide nostalgic glimpses of daily life in rural New York and Virginia. A self-taught artist, she did not begin painting until her late 70s.

Born Anna Mary Robertson, the artist left home at a young age to work as a hired girl at a neighboring farm. Marrying in 1887, she eventually gave birth to 10 children (5 of whom survived past infancy). In addition to her work as a farm wife and mother, Moses helped support her family by selling various homemade foods. 


Moses worked with whatever materials were at hand, used house paint and leftover canvas or fireboard for her first paintings. As a self-taught artist, Moses had little concern for perspective or proportion.


New York collector Louis J. Caldor chanced upon Moses's work and helped her begin exhibiting professionally. She gained the nickname “Grandma Moses” from a reviewer at New York's Herald Tribune. Her paintings became immensely popular and were appreciated for their nostalgic charm.

She exhibited her work internationally into her 90s and painted until a few months before her death at age 101.