Which 1939 trip led Georgia O’Keeffe to paint flowers and landscapes from Hawaii?

A Dole-sponsored trip to Hawaii led Georgia O’Keeffe to paint Hawaiian flowers and landscapes in 1939.

The Hawaiian Pineapple Company, later known as the Dole Food Company, invited O’Keeffe to travel to Hawaii and create images for an advertising campaign. She spent about nine weeks on the islands, visiting locations including Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and the island of Hawaii.

O’Keeffe produced paintings of tropical plants, flowers, waterfalls, and other landscapes during the trip. She initially struggled to find a pineapple that suited her composition and ultimately painted a pineapple plant after the company sent one to her in New York.

The journey expanded the geographic range of her subject matter, but it did not replace her long-term focus on New Mexico. The trip is sometimes described simply as a Hawaiian vacation; its specific origin was a commercial commission connected to Dole’s advertising needs.