Grandma Moses Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Grandmother Moses

Anna Mary Robertson married Thomas Moses in 1887, changing her name to Anna Mary Robertson Moses. In her 50s, she tried her hand at painting, but it wasn't until her 70s that she really took off. Arthritis rendered her unable to manipulate embroidery needles, so she switched to painting.

Grandma Moses Day is observed annually on September 7 to honour the gifted artist Anna Mary Robertson Moses, also known as Grandma Moses. The observance honours an artist born on the same day in 1860 who continues to serve as an inspiration for those beginning careers later in life. She defied the odds and set out to become one of the most celebrated artists of her time, despite her advanced age.

The background of Grandma Moses Day

Anna Mary Robertson married Thomas Moses in 1887, changing her name to Anna Mary Robertson Moses. In her 50s, she tried her hand at painting, but it wasn’t until her 70s that she really took off. Arthritis rendered her unable to manipulate embroidery needles, so she switched to painting.

Nelson Rockefeller, then-governor of New York, proclaimed September 7 as Grandma Moses Day in 1960, when she turned 100 years old.

Grandma Moses was a self-taught artist who depicted peaceful landscapes of farmsteads and rural life from her upbringing. As a consequence, her painting style was primitive. The works of Grandma Moses depicting rural life were quite popular. She began selling them for approximately $10 at a local drugstore.

Not until 1938 did art collector Louis Caldor discover the apothecary and purchase all of her paintings. Caldor was able to include Grandma Moses in a Museum of Modern Art folk art exhibition, thereby establishing her career. The following year, her paintings were exhibited in New York and sold throughout Europe and North America.

Moses quickly acquired a large global following. In the 1950s, her exhibitions broke attendance records on a global scale. In 1960, when she turned 100 years old, she was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine.

Grandma Moses had her paintings adopted on Christmas cards in 1946, bringing her works to a broader audience. Prior to her demise in 1961 at the age of 101, she would produce thousands of paintings. Today, we celebrate the life of an icon who has inspired generations, regardless of age, to reach for the heavens.

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5 interesting facts about Grandmother Moses that will blow your mind

Today, a painting titled “Fourth of July” by Grandma Moses hangs in the White House.

The Vermont school where Moses received her education has been converted into a museum housing the largest collection of her works.

At age 93, Grandma Moses was featured on the cover of the December 28, 1953 issue of TIME.

In her early years as a self-taught artist, Grandma Moses lacked access to quality materials, so she used pins and matches instead of small brushes to add details such as mouths and eyes.

In her winter landscape paintings, Moses was known to scatter glitter on the snow.