Anna Mary Robertson Moses (Grandma Moses)
(1860-1961)

Think that you may own a painting by Anna Mary Robertson Moses? We authenticate, appraise, research and issue Certificates of Authenticity (COA) and provide consultations for all paintings by Anna Mary Robertson Moses.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses, known in the art world as Grandma Moses, is a historical figure in American folk art. Grandma Moses did not start painting until she was in her seventies and had no formal art training. Grandma Moses spent most of her life working as an embroidery artist but had to quit after developing arthritis.

Grandma Moses gave many paintings to friends as gifts or sold them for two to three dollars depending on their size. Grandma Moses was displaying her paintings in a drugstore window in Hoosick Falls, New York at the time she was discovered by a New York collector named Louis J. Caldor. By 1939 Moses was exhibiting in Galerie Saint-Etienne in New York City. Grandma Moses soon gained international attention and continued to exhibit in Europe and Japan.

Grandma Moses worked tirelessly, creating over 3600 paintings within her thirty-year career. Grandma Moses’s folk-style paintings became cultural icons as commercial companies started using her images in advertising campaigns. In 1946 Du Barry cosmetics used one of Grandma Moses’s paintings, “The Old Checkered Inn in Summer” for a lip gloss advertisement. Grandma Moses’s paintings have also been used by Hallmark.

In 1949 Grandma Moses was awarded with the Women’s National Press Club trophy for her accomplishments as an artist. Grandma Moses documented her life and career in her autobiography, Grandma Moses: My Life’s History.

Grandma Moses is known for painting rural scenes of New York State. Even after gaining incredible success as an artist, Grandma Moses remained in the small town of Hoosick Falls. Grandma Moses lived to be one hundred and one years old, painting until the end of her life. Grandma Moses’s paintings now belong to major museums and private collections around the world. Grandma Moses’s painting, “Fourth of July”, still hangs in the White House. Do you think you own a painting by folk-artist Grandma Moses? Contact us. We are the Grandma Moses experts.