The renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe was born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin in 1887. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago (1905) and at the Art Students League in New York City (1907-1908). She worked as a commercial artist for a while then became interested in the principles of Oriental design in 1912. She began attending art classes conducted by Arthur Wesley Dow at Columbia University, after working as a public school art supervisor in Amarillo, Texas. While taking her teacher-training courses at West Texas State Normal College, where she served as department head, she introduced Dow's system of art education (1916-1918). In 1924 she married Alfred Stieglitz, the well-known photographer. O'Keeffe developed a unique style early in her career, which included abstracting traditional subject matter such as flowers and architectural themes. Her themes changed to involve more ancient Spanish architecture, vegetation, and dry terrain, when she began spending time in New Mexico in 1929. She said, "I paint what I see." She painted up to her death on March 6, 1986, a year short of turning 100.