In a November 1916 letter, O’Keeffe described watching an early morning train approach through the Texas landscape, an experience she captured in this trio of works. “A train was coming way off—just a light with a trail of smoke—white—I walked toward it—The sun and the train got to me at the same time—It’s great to see that terrifically alive black thing coming at you in the big frosty stillness—and such wonderful smoke.” In charcoal she conveyed the smoke by lifting away the sooty medium in plume-like swipes. In watercolor she described the white trail by leaving blank paper within a colorful ground.

Gallery label from

Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time, April 09, 2023–August 12, 2023

Medium Watercolor and pencil on paper
Dimensions 11 7/8 x 8 7/8" (30.3 x 22.5 cm)
Credit Acquired with matching funds from the Committee on Drawings and the National Endowment for the Arts
Object number 113.1979
Department Drawings and Prints

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Georgia O'Keeffe

Georgia O'Keeffe

American, 1887–1986 13 works online

In 1959, the artist Georgia O’Keeffe boarded an airplane in the United States and proceeded to travel for several months.

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