Highlights Archives
The Wright Stuff: Rare Images of Taliesin
The Wisconsin Historical Society entered the winning bid on eBay this week for a remarkable collection of rare photographs of Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's sprawling home and studio in Spring Green. Funds for the winning bid of $22,100 were hurriedly raised in just a week from a group of Frank Lloyd Wright aficionados led by former Historical Society editor and current board member Jack Holzhueter.
Thanks to their generosity, the Society had to contribute only $3,000 from its modest acquisitions budget to secure these unique photos for posterity.
The 32 photographs are in an album once owned by the late Dale O'Brien and his wife Helen, who lived in Spring Green during the 1960s. They were put on the market by Helen Conwell, a retired physician from Fairhope, Alabama, who acquired them from the O'Brien estate 20 years later. Dating from 1911-1912, they show the construction of Wright's original Taliesin enclave before it was destroyed by fire in 1914. It was subsequently rebuilt, only to burn again, and was continually revised throughout the architect's life. These images therefore document Wright's original idea for a creative sanctuary as he first envisioned it.
The new photographs will be made available for research use and viewing on the Web as soon as staff can assess their conservation needs and arrange for digitization. Meanwhile, the Society has images of Wright buildings as well as images of the man himself in Wisconsin Historical Images. We also sell a number of Wright-inspired items within our Museum store.
:: Posted February 2, 2005
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