What was Georgia O’Keeffe’s first widely recognized large-scale flower painting?

Georgia O’Keeffe’s first widely recognized large-scale flower painting was Petunia, No. 2.

Painted in 1924, Petunia, No. 2 enlarged a flower so dramatically that its petals fill the composition. O’Keeffe began painting flowers in close view during the 1920s, challenging viewers to look carefully at forms they might otherwise overlook. The work helped establish the floral imagery that became central to her public identity.

The title is sometimes confused with Black Iris, a later flower painting from 1926, or Jimson Weed, White Flower No. 1, painted in 1932. O’Keeffe rejected purely symbolic readings of her flowers and emphasized the visual experience of magnification. Her flower paintings were not botanical illustrations; they were carefully composed modernist paintings built from color, shape, and scale.