Miss O'Keeffe

Christine Taylor Patten, Alvaro Cardona-Hine

• Publisher: UNM Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780826319616
• eBook ISBN: 9780826325990
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Artist Biographies

In 1983, Christine Taylor Patten was hired as one of the people who took care of Georgia O'Keeffe, then ninety-six. Also an artist, Patten served as nurse, cook, companion, and friend to the older woman. This intimate account of the year of Patten's employment offers a rare glimpse of O'Keeffe's daily life when she could no longer see well enough to paint.

Twenty-one

Early in August, O’Keeffe’s will was changed, much in favor of Hamilton. It was a particularly chaotic week in the household; there was a lot of activity preparing the main house and guest house for visitors. O’Keeffe’s lawyer from New York arrived on Tuesday, and people had been in and out for days. Her local doctor had unexpectedly interrupted lunch the day before to take a sample of O’Keeffe’s blood. The house was full of flowers, many more than usual, brought by Anna Marie from a local florist.

Hamilton seemed agitated. All week, his directives had seemed more brusque than usual, and he appeared excited by the arrival of the guests. Before he left to pick up the lawyer from the airport, he came in to tell O’Keeffe and she said, “Tell him about our plan, Juan.” “Oh yes, Georgia . . .” he replied, finishing the sentence inaudibly.

When Christine heard O’Keeffe say that, she immediately recalled a conversation she and O’Keeffe had the month before. Occasionally, Hamilton would visit O’Keeffe in her room in the afternoons or early evenings for perhaps a few minutes. At such times he would ask the nurse to take a break.

On this particular occasion, he stayed in the room for over half an hour. When Christine returned, O’Keeffe was very agitated and told her that Hamilton said that he and she had to get married.

Christine always had a drawing book with her and, as O’Keeffe began to relate what had taken place between her and Hamilton, Christine realized she wanted to write down what she was hearing, she was so stunned.

They were sitting together on the couch; O’Keeffe spoke very slowly, pausing to think between words. This made it easier for Christine to write down the conversation accurately. The date was July 10, 1984.

O’K: Do you think of this as my house?

CTP: Well, of course.

O’K: Or does it seem like Juan’s?

CTP: Well, there are some of your things around it.

O’K: Well, I just don’t have any feeling of possession. The house in Abiquiu feels like my house. When we went up there {this was shortly after she had gone to Abiquiu with Juan and Dr. Friess} it didn’t feel like my house anymore. Well, you know, it seems like it’s Juan’s house, and if I have that feeling maybe I should just give it to him. Are you sure it feels like my house?

CTP: Well, his family does live here. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t feel like it’s your house. That would be a very nice thing to do, to give a house to someone.

O’K: But it would have to be made legal. If that girl—what’s her name, Mary Eva {Anna Marie Hamilton}—would quit, then Juan and I could get married and be done with it. Does that seem a funny thing to you?

CTP: Funny?

O’K: Well, if I give him the house and we aren’t married there are taxes, he said. The government wanted to have the house in Abiquiu—there’ve been many plans and I don’t know what will happen.

CTP: I’ve always thought the Abiquiu house would be a great art school—a small one.

O’K: Oh yes.

CTP: This house used to be a school.

O’K: Yes, Juan . . . do you think it’s a funny idea?

CTP: What’s a funny idea?

O’K: This idea of getting married. You see, the people have always gossiped about us, and they’ve never known and if we get married, I suppose that will start it up again. And it would be a legal way. And they’ve already gossiped. And then people will tell us: we told you so. Because he takes care of my affairs . . . he knows more about my affairs than I do. And I wonder if he talks to his friends as I’ve talked to you?

{Pause . . . }

But I’m afraid that maybe that sort of thing will change if he thinks it’s a duty.

CTP: Do you mean his taking care of you?

O’K: It’s not just care—it’s a kind of feeling. You take a great big risk {laughs}. You see, the house would then belong to the two of us, and we’d have to get married to prove it, and that seems very funny because we’ve been talked about anyway.

{Pause . . . }

When it comes to taxes, that’s what is. And if he’s a partial owner, only he pays taxes. I don’t think the government looks into and {sic} wherefore of such things but I think they should. He has talked to Anna Marie, and it’s all right with her to stop being married.

CTP: Would they keep living together?

O’K: Well, I don’t think there’s much living together going on. Well, it seems funny for him to go around strangers saying, “This is my wife.”

CTP: You mean you?

O’K: Yes {laughs}. I’m rather indifferent about it. I think I’m more indifferent than a lot of people would be. And it would be strange to go around saying he’s my husband {laughs} . . . I’m afraid that he might have less feeling that way than he does now.

CTP: Well, that happens, Miss O’Keeffe.

O’K: It would take awhile to get people adjusted to it. See, Mary Eva, or whatever her name is, seems to have no feeling about giving him up. And here he is a desirable young man {laughs}. Oh dear, it is funny.

CTP: I wonder what she will do—she doesn’t have a job . . .

O’K: Well, she’s just to go on the way it is. I doubt that that’s what’s giving her a backache. It may be, it just occurs to me.

CTP: It seems like an interesting plan.

O’K: It seems like an interesting plan? Well, years ago occasionally, he would say, “Let’s go up to Tierra Amarilla to get married,” and I laughed at it. It wasn’t in my plan at all.

CTP: When did he start talking about it again?

O’K: Well, when this became a tax situation.

CTP: Well, can I come?

O’K: Well, of course!

CTP: I’ll help you dress.

O’K: Well, I can dress in that pink dress. I can wear a white dress. We don’t have to dress up and do anything special. Well, I’ve already given him the Ghost Ranch house, but he says I haven’t done anything to prove it so I’ve been called upon to sign something proving it. That’s my back yard and then around it is my front yard.

Some people will say what a terrible thing this is we are doing. The people will gossip about us. They already have, haven’t they?

CTP: Yes, but one mustn’t live life worried about what people say about you, you know that.

O’K: Well, that’s a nice broad way of looking. I just don’t know if he won’t feel a little funny attached to me in that way. And if we’re going to do anything about it we have to do it soon.

CTP: Tomorrow?

O’K: {Laughs} Well, the sooner the better. And here that—what’s her name—Anna Marie just gets ailing—as if it bothers her that much. You see, it makes a fine line of gossip. Well, you’ve been to the kitchen. You’ve seen what she’s like.

CTP: She seems very tired.

O’K: Tired? Anna Marie? Well, I don’t t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction
• One
• Two
• Three
• Four
• Five
• Six
• Seven
• Eight
• Nine
• Ten
• Eleven
• Twelve
• Thirteen
• Fourteen
• Fifteen
• Sixteen
• Seventeen
• Eighteen
• Nineteen
• Twenty
• Twenty-one
• Twenty-two