Where in the ADK? Georgia O’Keeffe Slept Here: Wakonda Lodge on Lake George
One of the 20th Century’s most significant artists first visited the Adirondacks in 1908. Lake George would later become an important inspiration in her career.
Wakonda Lodge at Wiawaka Center for Women, Lake George
Welcome to this week's edition of "Where in the ADK?" This week’s virtual scavenger hunt takes you to Wakonda Lodge, which is well-known for its picturesque location along the shores of Lake George. This historic building was constructed in 1902 by Spencer and Katrina Trask as a haven for artists.
In 1908, a young Georgia O'Keeffe, who was only 20 years old at the time, visited Lake George on a retreat with the Art Students League of New York City.
Wakonda became part of Wiawaka Women’s Center, the oldest and longest continuously operating retreat for women in America. It was founded by Mary Fuller and Katrina Trask. The Wiawaka guest register shows that O’Keeffe stayed there from June 8 to June 29, 1908.
Today, Wakonda Lodge still stands as a testament to the Trask family's vision and the inspiration it provided to countless artists and writers over the years. It continues to attract visitors from all over the world who come to be inspired by its beauty and the rich artistic history of the region.
Although rustic, Wakonda Lodge is a popular accommodation at Wiawaka for visitors who want to stay where Georgia O’Keeffe slept, perhaps hoping to be imbued with the creative spirit of one of the most important artists of the 20th century, renowned for her contribution to modern art.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Lake George (formerly Reflection Seascape)” (1922). All rights reserved, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Georgia O'Keeffe Museum/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s vital relationship with Lake George.
Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most significant artists of the 20th century, had a unique relationship with New York State’s Adirondack Park. The region's natural beauty and stunning landscapes captivated her, and she spent many extended summers there.
Lake George with White Birch, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1921
From 1918 to 1934, O'Keeffe would retreat to her husband's family estate, Alfred Stieglitz, which was located just north of Lake George Village. The estate was a sanctuary for her, as she found solace in the serene surroundings.
O'Keeffe's love for the Adirondacks is evident in her work, which often depicted the area's natural beauty. Her paintings of the region's mountains, lakes, and flowers testify to her enduring connection with the Adirondacks.
During this time, she created many groundbreaking works and paintings inspired by the area around the Stieglitz family's Lake George estate.
While staying in Lake George, O'Keeffe worked intensely and produced over 200 breathtaking artworks on canvas and paper. She also created some stunning sketches and pastels.
Her years at Lake George were incredibly transformative and prolific in her seven-decades-long career. It's no wonder that this stunning location and its picturesque surroundings inspired some of her best work.
“Georgia O’Keeffe, Lake George” (1918), by Alfred Stieglitz.Credit...Adirondack Museum
This period coincided with O'Keeffe's first critical and widespread acclaim as a professional artist. It also helped define her style and affirmed her passion for natural subject matter, which would become more evident in her later works from the Southwest.
O'Keeffe's paintings were often inspired by her surroundings, including Lake George, where she created abstract and modernist works of the lake, mountains, trees, flowers, and barns.
“I wish you could see the place here,” she wrote in 1923 to the novelist Sherwood Anderson. “There is something so perfect about the mountains and the lake and the trees. Sometimes I want to tear it all to pieces — it seems so perfect — but it is really lovely.”
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"Where in the ADK?" is our virtual scavenger hunt. On Wednesdays, we post a picture of a place in the Adirondacks on Instagram and Facebook and invite our followers to guess where it is or, better yet, visit. It's a great way to discover new and noteworthy places in the Adirondacks. Follow us and play along.
Georgia O'Keeffe. Petunias, 1925. Oil on hardboard panel, 18 x 30 inches. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase, gift of the M. H. de Young Family, 1990.55. © Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
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This week’s “Where in the ADK?” comes from the campus of the only four-year institution of higher education in the ADK.