National Grandma Moses Day is a holiday observed on the 7th of September each year and honors the artist Grandma Moses—otherwise known as Anna Mary Robertson Moses. She was born on this day in 1860 and would become an artist who specialized in painting scenes of rural life.

She became an extremely prolific painter later in life, and over the course of thirty years, she created over 1,500 canvases. She continued to work well into her advanced age and became one of the most acclaimed artists of her time. Her story, and the holiday that commemorates it, have grown into an example of what can be achieved—even if you start later in life.

The Story Of Grandma Moses

Anna Mary Robertson Moses was born on September 7, 1860, in upstate New York and worked as a hired hand, helping her relatives with cooking, cleaning, and sewing. She drew on old newsprint as a child but didn’t consider it professionally at the time.

Instead, she married when she was 27 years old and then moved to a farm in Virginia, where she would raise five children. She didn’t start painting until she was 77 years old, after her husband had passed. She started painting to pass the time and to keep herself occupied.

She created paintings of rural life and sold them along with her homemade pickles. Then, in 1939, a collector saw her paintings in the window of a local pharmacy and ended up buying all of them.

Not long after, Hallmark purchased the rights to reproduce her paintings on greeting cards, and she became famous. She went on to paint 1,500 paintings over the course of her life—a life that would end in 1961 at the age of 101 years old.

Observing National Grandma Moses Day

We encourage everyone to celebrate National Grandma Moses Day on the 7th of September. She created an impressive collection of work that is both iconic and comforting, and definitely worth enjoying. While you’re enjoying this holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalGrandmaMosesDay to spread the word about this holiday and the amazing artist it celebrates.