National Grandma Mosses Day 👵🏻

Anna Mary Robertson became Anna Mary Robertson Moses in 1887 when she wedded Thomas Moses. She tried her hand at painting in her 50s, but only kicked into gear when she was in her 70s. She moved over to painting when arthritis robbed her of the ability to handle her embroidery needles. In 1960, Nelson Rockefeller — then New York Governor, declared September 7 as the official Grandma Moses Day as she reached the 100-year mark. Grandma Moses was a self-taught artist, depicting images from her upbringing; peaceful scenes of farmsteads and rural life. Her painting style was primitive as a result. Grandma Moses’ works depicting country life were quite popular. She began selling them at a local drugstore for about $10. It wasn’t until 1938, that art collector Louis Caldor, would happen upon the drugstore and buy all her paintings. Caldor was able to include Grandma Moses in a folk art show at the Museum of Modern Art, thereby launching her career. Her paintings were displayed in New York the following year and began selling across Europe and North America. Moses soon gained a large following across the globe. Sometime in the 1950s, her exhibitions shattered worldwide attendance records. She went on to feature on the front cover of LIFE magazine in 1960 when she clocked 100. Grandma Moses had her paintings adopted on Christmas cards in 1946, bringing her works to a larger audience. She would go on to create thousands of paintings before her death in 1961 at the age of 101. Today we celebrate the life of an icon and how she has inspired generations to reach for the stars even regardless of their age.