Buy With Confidence
For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.
On Approval
Examine select works in person before you commit
125% Guarantee
Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years
Trusted Expertise
Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists
First Wagon on Cambridge Pike by Grandma Moses
- First Wagon on Cambridge Pike by Grandma Moses vibrantly captures rural life
- The work recounts the story of Moses’ great-grandfather, who built the first wagon on Cambridge Pike
- The stunning composition is defined by her distinctive flattened perspective
- Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses is regarded as one of the most important American folk artists of the 20th century
- Get complete item description here
$168,500
Item No.
32-2985
To speak to one of our experts, call 1-888-711-8084
Description
Grandma Moses
1860–1961 | American
First Wagon on Cambridge Pike
Signed "Moses" (lower center)
Tempera and gouache on cardboard
One of the most important and beloved American folk artists of the 20th century, Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses transformed memories of rural life into some of the most recognizable images in American art. Painted in 1944, First Wagon on Cambridge Pike draws on a story passed down through generations. Moses brings to. . .
1860–1961 | American
First Wagon on Cambridge Pike
Signed "Moses" (lower center)
Tempera and gouache on cardboard
One of the most important and beloved American folk artists of the 20th century, Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses transformed memories of rural life into some of the most recognizable images in American art. Painted in 1944, First Wagon on Cambridge Pike draws on a story passed down through generations. Moses brings to. . .
Read More
Grandma Moses
1860–1961 | American
First Wagon on Cambridge Pike
Signed "Moses" (lower center)
Tempera and gouache on cardboard
One of the most important and beloved American folk artists of the 20th century, Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses transformed memories of rural life into some of the most recognizable images in American art. Painted in 1944, First Wagon on Cambridge Pike draws on a story passed down through generations. Moses brings to life the pioneering spirit of early Cambridge Valley through this intimate portrait of country life.
The title refers to the historic Cambridge Pike in Washington County, New York, near the Vermont border. Moses’ paternal great-grandfather, Archibald Robertson, settled in the area in the 1770s and worked as a wagon maker. In her 1952 autobiography, Moses proudly recalled that he “built the first wagon that ever ran over the Cambridge pike.” Here, she brings that family story to life: oxen and draft horses gather beside stacks of timber, workers tend to wagons and livestock, and farmhouses spread across the rolling countryside. Her distinctive flattened perspective allows the eye to travel easily from one small episode to the next, turning the landscape into a lively panorama of work, family and community.
Moses’ own life was every bit as remarkable as the scenes she painted. Born in 1860, she spent much of her life working on farms, raising a family and creating embroidered pictures in her spare time. She did not begin painting seriously until her late seventies, when arthritis made needlework increasingly painful. Within only a few years, her paintings were being exhibited in New York, and the grandmother from rural upstate New York became an international sensation. She continued painting well into her nineties, ultimately creating more than 1,500 works inspired by the landscapes, traditions and stories she had known firsthand.
Today, Grandma Moses holds an enduring place in the history of American art. Her paintings are treasured as highly individual records of memory, labor and place. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s major 2025–2026 exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work further affirmed the depth and originality of her achievement.
Painted 1944
Paper: 19 3/4" high x 23 2/4" wide (50.04 x 60.33 cm)
Frame: 26 1/4" high x 30 3/8" wide x 1 3/4" deep (66.75 x 77.22 x 4.32 cm)
Literature:
Otto Kallir, Grandma Moses, New York, Abrams Books, 1973, p. 91, no. 79 (illustrated)
Exhibited:
Moses Grandma, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 7 November–1 October 1950, no. 88
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
1860–1961 | American
First Wagon on Cambridge Pike
Signed "Moses" (lower center)
Tempera and gouache on cardboard
One of the most important and beloved American folk artists of the 20th century, Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses transformed memories of rural life into some of the most recognizable images in American art. Painted in 1944, First Wagon on Cambridge Pike draws on a story passed down through generations. Moses brings to life the pioneering spirit of early Cambridge Valley through this intimate portrait of country life.
The title refers to the historic Cambridge Pike in Washington County, New York, near the Vermont border. Moses’ paternal great-grandfather, Archibald Robertson, settled in the area in the 1770s and worked as a wagon maker. In her 1952 autobiography, Moses proudly recalled that he “built the first wagon that ever ran over the Cambridge pike.” Here, she brings that family story to life: oxen and draft horses gather beside stacks of timber, workers tend to wagons and livestock, and farmhouses spread across the rolling countryside. Her distinctive flattened perspective allows the eye to travel easily from one small episode to the next, turning the landscape into a lively panorama of work, family and community.
Moses’ own life was every bit as remarkable as the scenes she painted. Born in 1860, she spent much of her life working on farms, raising a family and creating embroidered pictures in her spare time. She did not begin painting seriously until her late seventies, when arthritis made needlework increasingly painful. Within only a few years, her paintings were being exhibited in New York, and the grandmother from rural upstate New York became an international sensation. She continued painting well into her nineties, ultimately creating more than 1,500 works inspired by the landscapes, traditions and stories she had known firsthand.
Today, Grandma Moses holds an enduring place in the history of American art. Her paintings are treasured as highly individual records of memory, labor and place. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s major 2025–2026 exhibition Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work further affirmed the depth and originality of her achievement.
Painted 1944
Paper: 19 3/4" high x 23 2/4" wide (50.04 x 60.33 cm)
Frame: 26 1/4" high x 30 3/8" wide x 1 3/4" deep (66.75 x 77.22 x 4.32 cm)
Literature:
Otto Kallir, Grandma Moses, New York, Abrams Books, 1973, p. 91, no. 79 (illustrated)
Exhibited:
Moses Grandma, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 7 November–1 October 1950, no. 88
Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Read Less
Specifications
| Maker: | Moses, Anna Mary Robertson |
| Period: | 1919-Present |
| Origin: | America |
| Type: | Paintings |
| Style: | Folk Art |
| Depth: | 1.7 in. (4.32 cm) |
| Width: | 30.4 in. (77.22 cm) |
| Height: | 26.28 in. (66.75 cm) |
| Canvas Width: | 23.750 in. (60.33 cm) |
| Canvas Height: | 19.700 in. (50.04 cm) |
Buy With Confidence
For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.
On Approval
Examine select works in person before you commit
125% Guarantee
Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years
Trusted Expertise
Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists
