Highly influential American architect (1867–1959) whose mastery of space, form, and human-centered design revolutionized the field of architecture and earned him a place among the greatest thinkers and artists of the 20th century. Rare, early ALS, two pages, 5 x 8, December 24, 1901. Letter to Mrs. Sophia Morris. In full: “Majind insists upon the return of your Jean Paul, and kindly offers to carry him to you. He has gone with me to Hillside three different times and has been with me in all sorts of odd moments. I have read him—fruit, flowers and thorns and have read him of air.
I began by indulging him a little delightful with his homely effort, to make such lovely flowers out of such unpromising stuff, but I respect him and love him now.
Never, will I forget my experience with the ‘First Fruit Piece.’ Previous to that I had been all along charmed and sunned by his genial humor and his persistent inclination to stick a posie anywhere regardless,—tenderly admiring the effect himself, meanwhile—but there came a grumble on page 260—then on page 261 a row of asterisks,—like the ominous hush before the coming storm,— and solemnly deep down, he begins, and gathering wrath and force and power he goes on building up grandly until with a terribly comprehensive reach, he crashes the universe in fragments, at our feet and commands us to look down—and we look, shuddering, into a godless chaos.
I read these in bed on a Sunday morning (shameless confession) while the church bells were tolling and they never sounded so sweet to me before—like his ‘sweet chime of bells, at evening pealing far away.’
I shall never lose that impression. And there, the beauty and tenderness of the man became invested all along with a new power and a deeper significance,—until,—well, I am richer and happier for having read your book.” In fine condition, with a few scattered light creases. Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope.
A skilled architect, Wright here also proves himself to a master with the written word, as this beautifully crafted prose shows. By 1901, he had completed about 50 projects, including many of his famous designs in Oak Park, Illinois and four houses which have since been considered the onset of the ‘Prairie style.’ The reference to “Hillside” is unmistakably the Hillside Home School, a coeducational country boarding school dedicated to education of children that was founded in 1886 by Jane and Nell Lloyd-Jones, Wright's aunts. Emphasizing ‘learning by doing,’ the school made a profound impact on the architect, who had been an indifferent and impatient student. As this correspondence—and his life—shows, however, Wright found other outlets for his talents. An extremely early, very scarce handwritten letter with excellent content. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$75.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
We use cookies on this site to improve your experience. By using this site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.
