Georgia O'Keeffe’s 1916 drawing series first exhibited by Alfred Stieglitz was titled Specials. The works were among a group of abstract charcoal drawings O'Keeffe made while teaching in Texas and experimenting with nonrepresentational forms.
Anita Pollitzer showed some of these drawings to Alfred Stieglitz at his New York gallery in 1916. Stieglitz exhibited them without O'Keeffe's advance permission, but the display marked a decisive turning point in her career. He later contacted her, and she began sending him additional work. The drawings established her as a distinctive voice in American modernism.
The title Specials can be confused with broader labels used for O'Keeffe's early abstractions. She also made series and works associated with titles such as Music, but Specials specifically identifies the group first shown by Stieglitz. These drawings are important because they helped move her career from regional teaching into the New York avant-garde.