Bedford Historical Society Speaker Series

Anna Mary Robertson Moses better known as Grandma Moses, the famous “American Primitive” artist, began her painting career in her 70’s, and was “discovered” at age 78. Over the next 2 decades she became an American icon, while creating over 1,600 registered paintings of the landscape she knew so long ago. She visited her “Ohio Cousins” in August 1941, and stayed over with Daniel Drew’s grandmother in Mt. Liberty, Ohio. The reason for her visit was to attend the Robertson Reunion of all the descendants of her uncles, Hezekiah and Ezra Robertson who had moved to central Ohio in the 1840’s.

Daniel Drew’s mother, Ruth Wintermute Drew, who taught at Bedford High School from 1927 to 1940, was Grandma Moses’s second cousin, once removed. She collected memorabilia about Grandma Moses’s life and work for more than 50 years. The family also visited Grandma Moses at her home in upstate New York four times before her death in 1961. As a result, Mr. Drew has collected more than 200 items related to her art and life, including an original painting, framed prints, books, and magazine articles, many of these items will be shared, as they are the “heart” of the presentation.