GRANDMA MOSES - The Grand Old Lady of American Art

Sep 28, 2026

Grandma Moses is portrayed as Anna Mary Robertson Moses, an elderly farm woman who, after arthritis crippled her hands in 1934, abandoned embroidery and began painting with improvised materials. Starting serious work at age 78, she produced roughly fifteen hundred paintings over the next twenty-two years despite having never studied art or visited a museum. Her early images drew on books, old Christmas cards, and prints, carrying a naive appeal later recognized worldwide. Her life story traces rural roots, family traditions, and historical memories.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 2 min

AccessFree to download

Grand Old Lady of American Art

How Grandma Moses began painting

Early influences and public reception

Family life and rural background

Childhood memories and historical events

NASSON COLLEGELIBRARY # GRANDMA MOSES The Grand Old Lady of American Art BY MARTHA LAING SamHar PressDivisien of Story Hous Corp· D.Steve Rahmas,A.B.,J.D.,Columbia U.,Editor Compiled with the assistance of the Research Staffof SamHar Press. 13219 SamHar Press Charlotteville,N.Y.12036A Division of Story House Corp. 1972 1977 9.55 Laing,Martha Grandma Moses,The Grand Old Lady of Amer ican Art.Charlotteville,N.Y.,Story House Corp.(SamHar Press),1972 30 p.22 cm.(Outstanding Personalities,no.13)Bibliography:p.29-30Story House Prebound 1Meses,Aana Mary Robertson(Grandma Moses 1o o1 6l. 2.Art-American(Series:Oatstaadiag Pennltae ND237.M6.L3 927.58 7 akn czd has been cataloged by the editor and may nois 80%of original size.)L d L ttiat of Library of Congress,Lbraryczc pr二e Preassigned Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:71-190231 Copyright ⑥1972 Story House Corp, All rights reserved.Printed in the United States of America. # GRANDMA MOSES The Grand Old Lady of American Art A restless old farm woman realized in 1934 thatshe had to give up herembroidery,forher hands werecrippled by arthritis and she could no longer holdthe needle properly.She had to discover a new hobby.The determined old woman scoured the attic and foundsome old house paint and a piece of canvas that hadbeen used to patch the threshing machine cover.Thewoman started painting. So began one of the greatest American art careers-the career of Anna Mary Robertson Moses or GrandmaMoses,as she was to become known to millions. When she started her serious painting at the ageof 78,she had little idea that she would become oneof the world's most admired contemporary painters.She started,not with the idea of becoming famous,but,to keep herself“out of mischief.”No one couldhave known then that the work that kept a quick,win-some old lady out of mischief,would later amaze artcircles around the world. Grandma started her career at an age when mostpeople settled back into their easy chairs to wait forthe end.But Grandma wasn't the kind to settle orwait.Instead in the next twenty-two years she pro-duced around fifteen hundred paintings. Grandma had never been to a museum.She knew no-thing about art and studio courses.She had neverheard of Picasso,VanGogh,nor Brueghel.Her veryearly paintings were copies of pictures in books,oldChristmas cards,and Currier and Ives prints,whichshe especially admired.Even her copies,however car- ried that special stamp of naive appeal that would la-ter be recognized as the hallmark of her paintings. This early work did not receive much attention,butthen,Grandma did not expect any.She first exhibitedher works at county fairs-along with her preservesand baked goods.In those days she was known for herskill in the kitchen;the blue ribbons went to herpreserves rather than her art work. It did not bother her that no one took notice ofher hobby.Her family and friends liked her picturesand she was,in her words,"a plain everyday body." This simple modest attitude reflected the down-to-earth life she had always known.Anna was the thirdchild in a family of ten born to a hard-working Scotch-Irish family in Greenwich,New York.Her fatherowneda flax mill,and the family lived on a farm which pro-vided them with most of the necessities. Anna's ancestors had been in the Hoosick Valleymany years before she was born in 1860.Her great-grandfather,Hezekiah King,had fought at Ticonderogato repel the British in the Revolutionary War.Theothers had drifted into the area from Scotland or Ire-land between 1740 and 1830. Anna Mary was the first girl born to her parents.The girl was a favorite of her stern-looking beardedfather,and she thrived on it.Once she misbehaved infront of company and her father took her to the wood-shed as if to be whipped.Her parents did not believe inwhipping,but she was behaving in such a way that theywere considering it.When they reached the woodshed,Anna stamped her foot at

FAQs

Why did Grandma Moses begin painting, and what triggered the change in 1934?

Her hands were crippled by arthritis, so she had to give up embroidery. She then discovered a new hobby by finding old house paint and canvas and starting to paint.

How old was she when she started serious painting, and what was her output over the next years?

She began serious painting at age 78. Over the following twenty-two years, she produced around fifteen hundred paintings.

Did Grandma Moses have formal art education or museum experience?

No. She had never been to a museum and knew nothing about art study courses, so her early paintings often copied images from books, Christmas cards, and old prints.

Sep 28, 2026

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