Sister Gertrude Morgan

1900-1980

Sister Gertrude Morgan was born in Lafayette, Alabama, and spent her childhood in Columbus, Georgia.  A devout Christian, Morgan claimed to have received a message from God instructing her to become a missionary and to spread the word of the Lord.  She preached on the streets of Mobile and Montgomery, then New Orleans from 1939.  In the late 1950’s, Morgan became the “bride of Christ”. From then on she wore only white, decorating her home with all white furnishings. To help her in her missionary work, Morgan began to create colorful paintings that included scenes from The Bible, particularly the book of Revelation, the Second Coming, Paradise, and Jerusalem.  Using cheap card and found materials, including pitchers, toilet rolls, and wallpaper, she worked by outlining her subjects with pencil or pen, filling in the shapes with watercolor, crayon, pastels and acrylics.  She also developed her own technique that involved rubbing chalk into paint.  Her pictures include evangelical texts, a characteristic of religious folk art from the American South. She ignored the acclaim she received, preferring to preach rather than attend the many exhibitions which featured her work. ¹