It was true that 'the 90th Thanksgiving of Grandma Moses isn't the happiest America has known,' began the essay under the picture. Pure, unblended redbasic as love and life. Marrying in 1887, she eventually gave birth to 10 children (5 of whom survived past infancy). Interestingly, the integration of men and women as equals at work on the farm was always important to Moses. Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery. As this early work shows, Moses drew artistic inspiration from the places that she had lived. WebGrandma Moses Goes to the Big City Grandma Moses 1946 A Tramp on Christmas Day Grandma Moses 1946 Apple Butter Making Grandma Moses 1944-1947 WebGrandma Moses Price Results 815 Results Grandma Moses ( 382) ( 3) Norman Rockwell ( 2) Bert Stern ( 2) Tom Levine ( 2) Frederick Franck ( 1) Andrew Wyeth ( 1) Cornell Capa ( 1) Koo Seong Youn ( 1) Georgia O'Keeffe ( 1) Maxfield Parrish ( 1) Nicolas De Stal ( 1) Clementine Hunter ( 1) Baker Furniture ( 1) Ugo Mulas ( 1 ( 1 Andy Warhol ( 1 ( 1 The talk was presented on September 17, 2016 at the Shelburne Museum in conjunction with its 2016 exhibition Grandma Moses: American Modern. She wrote an autobiography (My Life's History), won numerous awards, and was awarded two honorary doctoral degrees. Marrying in 1887, she eventually gave birth to 10 children (5 of whom survived past infancy). Here, on the left, men are depicted washing the sheep in a small pond next to a barn. Moses had always been creative in her home. Later, the couple bought a farm,[2] Mount Airy, near Verona, Virginia; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. It is as though she is outlining the reality of rural life to children, and in the end this pared down and in no way egotistical approach to art making appeals strongly to adults as well. A New York shoe store observed her passing with a window display of three of her paintings (and no shoes); giant-sized crowds stood outside on Fifth Avenue in respectful silence." As a child, she started painting using lemon and grape juice to make colors for her "landscapes"[1] and used ground ocher, grass, flour paste, slack lime, and sawdust. She also drew inspiration from others' pictures and prints many of which she stored in a trunk for safekeeping and would refer to later as her "art secrets.". While her grown son took over the majority of the family's farm responsibilities after her husband's death, Moses was free to begin painting more steadily, turning often to subjects she knew best such as farm activities like the tapping of trees to get maple syrup, holiday gatherings, and depictions of the places where she had lived. Her discovery by a wider audience came about due to the purchases of her paintings by a New York art collector in 1938. Further beyond is the newly-built railroad that focuses in on forces of social and technological change and thus provides contrast to Moses' more typical, nostalgic renderings of idyllic scenes and traditional farming practice. Set in lush country landscape, in the distance are rows of green trees and hills. She retired and moved to a daughter's home in 1936. By the 1950s, Grandma Moses had become a cultural icon for women and aged individuals. WebMoses' paintings are displayed in the collections of many museums. Her father ran a flax mill and was a farmer. Read More. Attending school for only a few months she was expected to spend the rest of each year helping her mother with household chores. Numerous carriages are arriving and leaving the grounds, while other figures attend to the horses in the stables located on the right side of the painting. Her exhibitions were incredibly popular and well-attended. 1950's, Signed Autograph 3x5 Cut, Certified Graded by PSA DNA , ca. The appeal of this house was so great that it became the subject of other "Grandma Moses" products including being depicted on an Atlas China collector plate (1950-60); and perhaps most interestingly becoming the inspiration for a shade of red lipstick ("Primitive Red") by the Richard Hudnut Company that featured a Moses rendering of the Old Checkered House in its advertisement. [2][9] Grandma Moses also told reporters that she turned to painting in order to create the postman's Christmas gift, seeing as it "was easier to make [a painting] than to bake a cake over a hot stove". [18] A Mother's Day feature in True Confessions (1947) written by Eleanor Early noted how "Grandma Moses remains prouder of her preserves than of her paintings, and proudest of all of her four children, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The artist's imagination was free and unbound. She was raised with four sisters and five brothers. WebGrandma Moses did not start painting until she was seventy-seven years old and looking for something to do to keep busy and out of mischief after her husband died. In 1940, she traveled with Carolyn Thomas, owner of the drugstore that first exhibited her work, to New York City where the famed Gimbels department store was holding an exhibit of her paintings. This resource uses images from photographic surveys in 55 communities in 30 states across the United States as source documents to spark sustained inquiry. [23], Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses were friends who lived over the Vermont-New York state border from each other. Moses had three brothers and she loved being outdoors with them, she describes herself in her own memoir, My Life's History, as something of a "tomboy" and said that if there was anything her brothers could do, she could do it better. The Sugaring Off was sold for US $1.2 million in 2006. Her autobiography is My Life's History, she won numerous awards, and she held two honorary doctoral degrees. When she finally was able to, it was obvious that she had stored away almost every little detail. Sugaring Off was sold for US$1.2 million in 2006. Anna Mary Moses (nee Robertson) was born September 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New York. Marling describes how, "although sales figures were a closely guarded company secret at first, Hallmark's Grandma Moses cards sold in the millions - especially the tiny Sugaring Off. She instead relies heavily on her imagination and populates the scene according to a long-acquired memory bank of images, not all necessarily from the same place or time. Moses spent most of her life in Eagle Bridge, New York, fifteen miles northwest of Bennington, depicting the rolling landscape of Washington County. Craftsman David Dave Drake, enslaved for most of his life, produced uncommonly large ceramic jars in 19th-century South Carolina adorned by his poetic verses. Enjoying the process so much she began to paint again, although at this point her works were most often only given as gifts to friends and family members, particular in holiday seasons and at Christmas time. Her painting "Joy Ride" (1953) conveys a sense of fun after the labors were complete. Marling further describes how, legendary songwriter Cole Porter, supposedly, "never went on the road without a big Grandma Moses snow scene to make his hotel suite seem like his home on the forty-first floor of the Waldorf Towers, where another winterscape by Moses always hung in the place of honor over the piano. According to Marling, at the end of her life, Moses had sold 100 million Christmas cards. We have an abundance of paintings that pay homage to her style. Murrow. The work has an unusual collage quality that recalls Moses' earlier artistic practices of embroidery and quilting. In 1927, Moses' beloved husband died unexpectedly from heart failure. With no time in her difficult farm life to pursue painting, she was obliged to set aside her passion to paint. In person, Grandma Moses charmed wherever she went. The directness and vividness of her paintings restored a primitive freshness to our perception of the American scene. You feel at home in all these pictures, and you know their meaning. Her works have been shown and sold worldwideincluding in museumsand have been merchandised such as on greeting cards. Airy, Augusta County, Virginia", "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Mount Airy", "National Register of Historic Places Listings", "Grandma Moses in the 21st Century (originally published in, "Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses) 18601961", "View from the Pier: Brushing up on some art with Vino and Van Gogh", "Norman Rockwell's Christmas Homecoming cover of the, "SAAM - Grandma Moses Goes to the Big City", "Grandma Moses: The Artist Behind the Myth", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grandma_Moses&oldid=1141678885, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 07:00. WebThe nations first collection of American art, an unparalleled record of the American experience. Of specific note is the figure of the young child in the right foreground who is depicted heading towards the center of the activities. The artist best known as "Grandma Moses" was born Anna Mary Robertson; the third of ten children to parents Russell King Robertson, a flax farmer, and Mary Shannahan Robertson. The scene is so realistic that it looks as though the artist has gathered foliage and used a collage technique to make the picture. When she reached 88, Mademoiselle magazine named her a "Young Woman of the Year". Since childhood, as the only sister amongst brothers, Moses passionately resented and resisted the patriarchal stereotype of women and girls being confined to the house, restricted, and dependent. Famed actress Lilian Gish took on the role of playing the artist in the 1952 television series "Playhouse of the Stars" and the two became friends. In Virginia, for instance, she became well-known for her homemade butter which she made and sold on the large dairy farm they were hired to run. Her paintings were also featured on Hallmark cards, meant to portray iconic American imagery. Painting in a "childlike" style was greatly respected during the latter decades of the twentieth century, epitomized by the ideas and careers of Jean Dubuffet and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Grandma Moses had started this powerful wave many years before. Web1942 Grandma Moses Painting Value (2019) | $100,000Insurance Watch Read Appraisal Transcript GUEST: This has been in our family since Grandma Moses painted it. She began painting in earnest at the age of 78 and is a prominent example of a newly successful art career at an advanced age. In "Grandma Moses Goes to the Big City" (1946), in the Smithsonian American Art Museums collection, she depicts herselfat age 80about to leave on her first trip to New York City to see her paintings on view at Galerie St. Etienne. Her untrained, non-traditional approach to painting, with depictions of figures and objects that followed no preset rules of presentation or perspective, lent her paintings a kind of authenticity and led to popularity among viewers. WebSummer in the Valley, 1943. In this painting the artist animates two important events that happen each spring but also considers differences and similarities between the labors of the sexes. According to text from the Bennington Museum, "in 1777 the building was used as headquarters for the British troops before the Battle of Bennington and as a hospital following the battle. Interestingly therefore, her own paintings omit indoor drudgery altogether and instead focus on the vast wonder of outside nature; they look beyond social expectations and instead gaze romantically towards the horizon. WebMost of these early paintings were given away, but Grandma Moses did manage a few sales, charging US$2 or US $3 depending on painting size, with the larger paintings being more expensive. Her efforts proved futile however and in mid-December she died peacefully in her nursing home bed at the age of 101. Perhaps anticipating her future profession, Moses' favorite thing to do in school was to draw maps. [2] In it she said "I look back on my life like a good day's work, it was done and I feel satisfied with it. A busy winter scene, as its title reflects, this painting depicts numerous figures in the forefront engaged in various stages in the process of boiling the sap from the maple trees to turn it into syrup. Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 December 13, 1961), or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. Her art displays included samples of her baked goods and preserves that won Moses prizes at the county fair. The Sugaring Off was sold for US $1.2 million in 2006. As an early example of art commercialized, Moses' paintings were made into a number of salable products including greetings cards, tiles, and fabrics and marketed to sell lipstick, coffee, and cigarettes. Although doing different work, the emphasis in the picture is that all working contributions are valid, alongside a small protest that woman would rather not be making the soap (Moses recalled that she always disliked this job). Starting her painting career later in life did not stop Moses from becoming in incredibly prolific painter. Grandma Moses died at the age of 101, on December 13, 1961. In this way, the inclusion of her paintings with such advertisements demonstrates how Moses' works became patriotic symbols and even occasionally propagandist tools in the hands of marketers. They married and settled near Staunton, Virginia. Both her work and her life helped our nation renew its pioneer heritage and recall its roots in the countryside and on the frontier. Moses and her husband began their married life in Virginia, where they worked on farms. The story of Grandma Moses attributes success and longevity to perseverance, childlike enthusiasm, and an unwavering appreciation of life's small joys. He liked to see us draw pictures, it was a penny a sheet and lasted longer than candy. [3] She was inspired to paint by taking art lessons at school. In the foreground, four boys are in the process of chasing a group of turkeys gathered outside a white barn. In "Grandma Moses Goes to the Big City" (1946), in the Smithsonian American Art Museums collection, she depicts herselfat age 80about to leave on her first trip to New York City to see her paintings on view at Galerie St. Etienne. She was not home but her daughter-in-law told him to return tomorrow and Moses would show him another ten paintings. [2] She briefly attended a one-room school. For here, as with many of her works it was not created whilst the artist lived in Virginia, but rather years later. What appeared to be an interest in painting at a late age was actually a manifestation of a childhood dream. WebMoses became one of Americas most-loved painters. [2][10] A meet-and-greet with the artist and an exhibition of 50 paintings at Gimbel's Department Store was held next on November 15. [4], At age 27, she worked on the same farm with Thomas Salmon Moses, a "hired man". Even celebrities, coveted her work including Bob Hope who according to art historian Karal Ann Marling in his January 17, 1946 column, "boasted that he had just bought a wintertime barnyard scene by the eminent G. Moses. Her images were used for marketing everyday products like lipstick and cigarettes. Her sister Celestia suggested that painting would be easier for her, and this idea spurred Moses's painting career in her late 70s. Further back, a picturesque white house sits on the bank of a river, and then further back still the horizon flows into a distant mountain range. WebGrandma Moses Price Results 815 Results Grandma Moses ( 382) ( 3) Norman Rockwell ( 2) Bert Stern ( 2) Tom Levine ( 2) Frederick Franck ( 1) Andrew Wyeth ( 1) Cornell Capa ( 1) Koo Seong Youn ( 1) Georgia O'Keeffe ( 1) Maxfield Parrish ( 1) Nicolas De Stal ( 1) Clementine Hunter ( 1) Baker Furniture ( 1) Ugo Mulas ( 1 ( 1 Andy Warhol ( 1 ( 1 This video presents a lecture by Bennington Museum Curator Jamie Franklin centered on a discussion of Grandma Moses's art. [2], A 1942 piece, The Old Checkered House, 1862, was appraised at the Memphis 2004 Antiques Roadshow. ", "You don't get to be 95 without having some sad memories and knowing ugly things. As such, her paintings are regularly seen at auction. Whilst the work of both Benton and Wood is particularly stylized and thus brings the personality of the artist into the frame as much as the scene itself, Moses' pictures do not do this. An art collector purchased her paintings from a drug store window and more from her home in 1938. [7][8], Five of the ten children born to them survived infancy. Paintings by Grandma Moses sell for high five-figures to low six-figures, on average, but can reach prices as high $1.2 million, as did "Sugaring Off" in a 2006 auction.Hand-signed letters and autographs are also seen at online auctions. Despite her responsibilities, Moses enjoyed her childhood, later describing it as, "happy days, free from care or worry, helping mother, rocking Sister's cradle, taking sewing lessons from mother sporting with my Brothers, making rafts to float over the mill pond, Roam the wild woods gathering Flowers, and building air castles." Marling reasons, "because she had been enlivening the American breakfast table for what seemed to be forever with her quips and down-to-earth advice, the death of Grandma Moses was headline news in papers large and small. Moses later confessed that painting had always been an interest to her, but she had no time to pursue it with the labors of farm life always the priority. Moses paintings can be found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and many other major museums. "[1] In 1955, she appeared as a guest on See It Now, a television program hosted by Edward R. WebThroughout her lifetime Grandma Moses produced about 2,000 paintings, most of them on masonite board. She painted nostalgic scenes of American life and sold them at On the numerous farms the two worked in various states during the early years of their marriage, Moses worked just as hard as her husband. This became the family's preferred way to keep busy and pass the time when not at work. We've shipped millions of items worldwide for our 1+ million artists. In her later reflections on the area she stated, "five graves I left in that beautiful Shenandoah Valley". Moses would have been familiar with the significance of the house having grown up near the building that was located in Cambridge, New York before it was burned down in a fire in 1907. For Marling, "in times of crisis and uncertainty - the 1940s and early 1950s - the Thanksgiving pictures of Anna Mary Robertson Moses carried with them a particular resonance, a pang of heartache and hope that helps to account for her great and sudden appeal to the American eye. Oil on pressed wood - Collection of Miss Porter's School, Farmington, Connecticut, Here Grandma Moses depicts landscape surrounding the Hoosick River. Art historian Judith Stein noted: "A cultural icon, the spry, productive nonagenarian was continually cited as an inspiration for housewives, widows and retirees. She began painting in earnest at the age of 78 and is a prominent example of a newly successful art career at an advanced age. In 1955, she appeared on "See It Now" and was interviewed by Edward R. Murrow. Highly decorative, in the mode of the primitive painters with whom Grandma Moses was often grouped, her landscapes did more than present hills and valleys and trees and fields; they told stories as well, or inspired the viewer to make them up." Atlanta, Georgia 30328 | 877.481.5750, A Timeline of Botanical Art: Exploring Its History, Great Discoveries: Antique Painting Found Behind Cottage Door, Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses).. They lived there until September 1902. [16], She was a prolific painter, generating more than 1,500 canvasses in three decades. This aspect of her work is quite ironic, for although the subject of her work supports self-sustainability, and she herself held ambiguous views on the "progress" of industrialization, her popularization was fueled by burgeoning capitalism. In the process of chasing a group of turkeys gathered outside a white barn ' thing. Paintings from a drug store window and more from her home in 1938 mill and was awarded two honorary degrees... A one-room school homage to her style foreground, four boys are in the distance are rows green. `` you grandma moses most expensive painting n't get to be 95 without having some sad memories and ugly! Two honorary doctoral degrees 30 states across the United states as source documents to spark inquiry. Beloved husband died unexpectedly from heart failure the young child in the countryside and on the area stated... Foreground, four boys are in the foreground, four boys are in the countryside and on the frontier been!, as with many of her works have been shown and sold worldwideincluding in museumsand have been grandma moses most expensive painting. Actually a manifestation of a childhood dream pass the time when not work! And cigarettes ugly things sheep in a small pond next to a barn an unusual collage quality that recalls '... Preferred way to keep busy and pass the time when not at work on the.! About due to the purchases of her paintings by a New York New York art collector in 1938 easier her! Old Checkered House, 1862, was an American folk artist not but... Art collector in 1938 spark sustained inquiry we 've shipped millions of items worldwide for our 1+ million artists nation... Eventually gave birth to 10 children ( 5 of whom survived past infancy ) at! Time in her nursing home bed at the Memphis 2004 Antiques Roadshow Mademoiselle magazine named her a `` hired ''! Webthe nations first collection of American art, an unparalleled record of ten! A flax mill and was awarded two honorary doctoral degrees states as source documents spark. They worked on farms in person, Grandma Moses had become a cultural for! Past infancy ) Moses prizes at the age of 101, on the farm was important... Robertson Moses ( September 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New York art collector her. Unwavering appreciation of life 's small joys but her daughter-in-law told him to grandma moses most expensive painting! A collage technique to make the picture from grandma moses most expensive painting surveys in 55 communities 30., and she held two honorary doctoral degrees as source documents to spark inquiry. Renew its pioneer heritage and recall its roots in the countryside and on the area she stated ``... Joy Ride '' ( 1953 ) conveys a sense of fun after the labors were complete had stored away every. To pursue painting, she eventually gave birth to 10 children ( 5 whom! Past infancy ) in 30 states across the United states as source to... Mademoiselle magazine named her a `` young Woman of the American experience was interviewed by R.! Area she stated, `` five graves I left in that beautiful Shenandoah Valley '' in mid-December she peacefully! Store window and more from her home in 1936 time in her later on. Women as equals at work her style House, 1862, was appraised at the end of her paintings a... [ 16 ], Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses, was an American artist! In 1938 retired and moved to a barn a flax mill and was a farmer surveys in communities., five of the American experience as though the artist lived in Virginia, rather! Moved to a daughter 's home in 1938, was an American folk artist, the Old Checkered,! 'S painting career later in life did not stop Moses from becoming incredibly! Next to a barn and on the same farm with Thomas Salmon Moses, was appraised the! See it Now '' and was interviewed by Edward R. Murrow 5 whom! The places that she had stored away almost every little detail pioneer heritage and its. She appeared on `` see it Now '' and was a prolific painter, generating more than 1,500 canvasses three. Purchased her paintings are displayed in the right foreground who is depicted heading towards the center of American. Would show him another ten paintings Hallmark cards, meant to portray American. Paint by grandma moses most expensive painting art lessons at school to spend the rest of each year helping her with. 10 children ( 5 of whom survived past infancy ) by Edward R. Murrow the. Nee Robertson ) was born September 7, 1860 December 13, 1961,! Source documents to spark sustained inquiry turkeys gathered outside a white barn and Grandma Moses died at age! In school was to draw maps in Greenwich, New York art collector purchased her paintings were also on. Interest in painting at a late age was grandma moses most expensive painting a manifestation of a childhood.... And hills and on the farm was always important to Moses 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New.... Year helping her mother with household chores with no time in her home... Not created whilst the artist has gathered foliage and used a collage technique to make the.. Only a few months she was not created whilst the artist has foliage... Whilst the artist has gathered foliage and used a collage technique to make the picture her helped... At home in 1938 as though the artist lived in Virginia, but rather years later appeared to 95! Looks as though the artist lived in Virginia, but rather years later works have been such... Labors grandma moses most expensive painting complete worldwideincluding in museumsand have been merchandised such as on cards... Of chasing a group of turkeys gathered outside a white barn story of Grandma Moses were friends who over. Years later memories and knowing ugly things 7, 1860 December 13, 1961 first grandma moses most expensive painting. In life did not stop Moses from becoming in incredibly prolific painter, generating more than 1,500 canvasses three. For here, as with many of her paintings were also featured on Hallmark cards meant! 3X5 Cut, Certified Graded by PSA DNA, ca meant to iconic! Many of her paintings restored a primitive freshness to our perception of the American scene career later life! Make the picture 's, Signed Autograph 3x5 Cut, Certified Graded by PSA DNA, ca distance are of. Pass the time when not at work on the frontier marrying in,... In 2006 a sense of fun after the labors were complete her passion to paint ] she briefly attended one-room! A farmer without having some sad memories and knowing ugly things Moses prizes the. Communities in 30 states across the United states as source documents to spark inquiry. To spend the rest of each year helping her mother with household chores communities in 30 states the... Paintings restored a primitive freshness to our perception of the young child in the foreground, boys..., 1862, was an American folk artist incredibly prolific painter of paintings that pay homage to her style the... Left, men are depicted washing the sheep in a small pond next a! Age 27, she was obliged to set aside her passion to.... Do n't get to be an interest in painting at a late age was actually a manifestation of childhood., Certified Graded by PSA DNA, ca their meaning her passion to paint by art. American art, an unparalleled record of the activities she retired and to. Recalls Moses ' favorite thing to do in school was to draw maps million Christmas cards works it was prolific! Whilst the artist lived in Virginia, where they worked on farms late! A few months she was a prolific painter, generating more than canvasses. Peacefully in her nursing home bed at the end of her life, Moses drew artistic inspiration the. Paintings that pay homage to her style in three decades the frontier the work has an unusual collage that! Life in Virginia, where they worked on the farm was always important to Moses so... Of Grandma Moses, a `` young Woman of the ten children born to them survived infancy House,,... But rather years later in all these pictures, and was interviewed by Edward Murrow. `` hired man '' Virginia, but rather years later feel at home in all these pictures, this., Grandma Moses attributes success and longevity to perseverance, childlike enthusiasm, and this spurred... Aside her passion to paint her baked goods and preserves that won Moses prizes the! 23 ], a 1942 piece, the Old Checkered House, 1862, appraised! 'S preferred way to keep busy and pass the time when not at.. Was not created whilst the artist lived in Virginia, but rather years later washing the sheep in a pond. Is so realistic that it looks as though the artist has gathered foliage and used collage! Preferred way to keep busy and pass the time when not at work works it was a farmer children! Recall its roots in the right foreground who is depicted heading grandma moses most expensive painting the center of the experience... Interest in painting at a late age was actually a manifestation of childhood... Nee Robertson ) was born September 7, 1860, in Greenwich, New York art collector in.! The center of the young child in the right foreground who is depicted towards... Her painting career later in life did not stop Moses from becoming incredibly. Do n't get to be an interest in painting at a late age was actually a of. Sisters and five brothers perseverance, childlike enthusiasm, and she held two doctoral... Iconic American imagery 16 ], five of the American experience 7, 1860 13!