The Red Danjuru
Katsukawa Shunsho
One of Wright’s favorite prints
segments
  • 1867-1890
  • 1891-1900
  • 1901-1910
  • 1911-1920
  • 1921-1930
  • 1931-1940
  • 1941-1950
  • 1951-1959


COMMENTARIES IN MEMORIAM ESSAYS
by John W. Geiger


FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT CHRONOLOGY

Note by John Geiger

I started this time-line to keep track of Wright’s sale of Japanese prints as described by Julia Meech in her Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan (Harry Abrams, 2001). It became obvious in that reading that Wright supported his life style and architectural practice through the sale of Japanese prints, not the other way around. I have added other data from my readings that were of interest to me in tracing Wright’s peregrinations through life from birth to death. There are extensive quotes from my correspondence with Curtis Besinger that trace the architectural changes at Taliesin during Besinger’s time there. I had asked him to detail what he knew about those changes for the benefit of history. This is a very personal tract and I am pleased to share it with those who are interested.

Editor's note: Referenced sources are given full bibliographic citation at the bottom of the timeline page. Illustrations presented in the side column were selected by Geiger, with a few further ones added according to his instructions. Most photographs are from the Geiger collection; occasionally images are unidentied as to origin. Any comment in the captions is original to the Geiger manuscript. Minor editing has been done for consistency in date formats and citations.

1867 - 1890
   

1867

  

Wright born, Richland Center, Wisconsin.
   

1885

  

Wright's parents are divorced.
   

1886

January, 1886 to December, 1886: Wright attended calsses at the University of Wisconsin (Secrest, p. 84.)
   

1886

Summer 1886: The Lloyd Jones family chapel, Unity Chapel by Silsbee, was complete and open. Wright still at the University of Wisconsin was very much aware of its construction. A few months later Wright was working for Silsbee making a drawing of Unity Chapel for a magazine (Secrest, p. 83).
   

1886

August 15, 1886: Unity Chapel dedicated. (Chase, p. 111).
   

1886

Hillside Home School conceived by Nell and Jane Lloyd Jones. (Secrest, p. 94).
   

1887

February, 1887: Wright was working for Silsbee in Chicago. (Secrest, p. 83), where he first encountered the Japanese prints, provided by Fenollosa, displayed in the office. (Storrer #2, p. 3). Fenollosa’s mother was a sister to Silsbee. Fenollosa married Silsbee’s daughter, who was his first cousin. (Nute, p. 22).
   

1887

October, 1887: Nell and Jane Lloyd-Jones opened Hillside Home School (Chase, p. 96).
   

1887

Wright goes to work for Sullivan (Secrest, p. 110).
Wright's 1889 home for himself
  

1889

May 5, 1889: Wright “was in possession of the property” (Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust [Oak Park, Illinois], personal email dated January 19, 2005). The property was the site of Wright’s 1889 house.
 

1889

June 1, 1889: Wright married Catherine Tobin (Pinnell, p. 26).

1889

August 21, 1889: Anna Wright purchases the property at 931 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois. (Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust [Oak Park, Illinois], personal email dated March 10, 2004).
   

1889

Fall, 1889: Wright builds his house for himself (Pinnell, p. 26).
   

1890

July, 1890: Nute surmises that Wright’s first Japanese prints may have been acquired from Fenellosa when he returned from Japan in July, 1890 (Nute, p. 25).