Williamstown (Furnishing Fabric)

Anna Mary Robertson Moses, known as “Grandma Moses,” was one of the most popular American artists of the mid-20th century; however, people often know her work only through reproductions, which were marketed through chinaware, greeting cards, wallpaper, and other home goods. Beginning in 1950, Riverdale Drapery Fabrics introduced a line of printed cotton fabrics showcasing some of Moses’s best-known paintings. Williamstown displays her image of a small town in western Massachusetts, not far from her home in Eagle Bridge, New York. Not an exact rendering of the buildings in Williamstown’s center, Moses instead captured a picturesque community nestled quietly among the hills of upstate New York.

Advertisers suggested using these fabrics for upholstery covering, curtains, and cushions; panels of the heavyweight, textured cotton could also be framed like a painted canvas. Moses’s portrayal of an idyllic rural life resonated with American audiences nostalgic for an idealized vision of the nation’s past following World War I. More people could afford such collectables and home goods than her original paintings.