Anna Mary Robertson became a live-in housekeeper at the age
of twelve. One of the families she worked for noticed her love of their Currier
and Ives prints. They gave her crayons and chalk so she could create her own
pictures. At 27 she married Thomas Salmon Moses, a farm hand who worked for the
same employer. Industry and thrift helped them buy their own farm where they
raised five children. For many years “Grandma” Moses made quilts and
needlepoint pictures for friends and family. By the time she was seventy-six
arthritis made holding a needle difficult, so she took up painting. When her
right hand hurt too much to hold the brush, she’d switch to her left. In three
decades she produced over 1,500 canvasses. “I get an inspiration and start
painting,” she said. “Then I'll forget everything except how things used to be
and how to paint it so people will know how we used to live.”
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