Georgia O'Keeffe's Drawing Series I–X is considered among the earliest purely abstract works by an American artist. She made the charcoal drawings in 1916 while teaching in South Carolina, using flowing lines and tonal shapes rather than recognizable objects.
The series was important because it showed O'Keeffe moving beyond academic representation. Her drawings explored rhythm, movement, and emotional intensity through simple marks. They were not studies for a conventional scene; they were finished works whose subject was the visual language itself.
Alfred Stieglitz exhibited some of these drawings at his New York gallery in 1916. The exhibition helped bring O'Keeffe to the attention of the American art world, although he initially displayed them without telling her. Their appearance contributed to the long professional and personal relationship between the two artists.
The series is sometimes confused with O'Keeffe's later abstract paintings, including works associated with music. Drawing Series I–X specifically refers to the 1916 charcoal group and is a milestone in her early career.