 When the paper folded, he and his wife moved to New York City, where he was hired by "Pilgrim Magazine" to cover the 1904 St. Louis Exposition.He enrolled at the Art Students League for a two-year program during 1905–07 under George Bridgman, Norman Rockwell's teacher.A student colleague later persuaded Koerner to apply to Howard Pyle's illustration school in Wilmington.