Rebecca Salsbury James and Georgia O’Keeffe in Taos
1929
Rebecca Salsbury James Papers

During their first summer in Taos, Beck Strand taught Georgia O’Keeffe to drive. In Creative Arts, Mabel Dodge Luhan wrote, “Georgia learned how to drive a car in Taos! Sometimes at first, it must be admitted, it appeared that this was never to become one of her accomplishments! Such a nerve-wracking experience falls to the lot of few—to go out with Georgia driving her Ford the first month she had it! Beck Strand had the dubious joy of teaching her and we all watched her lively silver hair grow more silvery day by day as Georgia propelled the surprised machine ever faster along precipices—over condemned bridges and through narrow gateways. Finally we recognized that Georgia was destined to become a demon driver!”1