Memory Paintings: Harriet French Turner and Queena Stovall

During the middle of the 20th century, a group of untrained women painters gained critical recognition for their works documenting day-to-day activities from their pasts. The most famous of these painters was Anna Robertson or “Grandma Moses,” but Virginia natives Harriet French Turner of Roanoke and Queena Stovall of Lynchburg were recognized for their lively, colorful depictions of their locale and memories. These women started to paint in their 60s, after having raised their families, and with recently gained time to reflect on their yesteryears.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.