Collections : [Avery Drawings & Archives]

This collection documents the life and career of Edgar Allen Tafel: New York architect, Frank Lloyd Wright historian, and one of the original apprentices of the Taliesin Fellowship from 1932. The collection primarily documents Tafel's professional activities and his later independent architectural career which was most prominent from 1965-1985. The collection is made up of nine series: Personal Papers, Correspondence, Writings, Professional Papers, Office Records, Project Records, Photographs and Slides, Audio-Visual Material, and Printed Material.

Approximately 1,000 architectural drawings, circa 1880-1959, with related correspondence, clippings, announcements, specifications, legal documents, and photographs. Major projects represented include Auldbrass Plantation, Yemasee, S.C; the Guggenheim Museum, New York City; Fallingwater (the Edgar J. Kaufmann residence), Bear Run, Pa.; and Wright's own home and studio in Oak Park, Ill. Also, Wright's correspondence relating to exhibits and publication of his work; other professional matters; and correspondence with his son, John Lloyd Wright, 1920s-1950s; manuscript, typescript, and printed versions of articles and addresses by Wright; photographs, programs, invitations, issues of SQUARE-PAPERS, and other materials, circa 1920s-1940s, relating to Taliesin; and miscellaneous invitations, programs, announcements, honors, appreciations, memorials, clippings, and other documents relating to various aspects of Wright's career.

The collection includes over 140,000 pages of correspondence, which serves as a core resource for understanding Wright's personal and professional activities, relationships, and ideas. The correspondence also includes project records such as specifications, contracts, supply orders, invoices and receipts. Letters from the 1880s through the 1920s accounts for only 2% of the total correspondence in the collection (approximately 2,000 documents). The bulk of the correspondence is from the 1930s until Wright's death in 1959.

This collection includes over 300 film reels which have been digitized. By format, the collection contains 179 16mm film, 109 8mm film, and 17 35mm film. While the inclusive dates of the collection range from 1922 to 1984, the bulk of the films are from the 1930s into the 1960s. Footage includes home movies of Wright and family, life and events of the Taliesin Fellowship, and informal site and building visits. The collection also includes documentaries on Wright's career and projects, as well as professional produced interviews and talks by Wright and promotional coverage of his built works.

The Oral Histories collection is made up of audio recordings, videotapes, and transcripts of interviews conducted by Foundation members. The oral histories document the life and activities of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship. Interviewees include apprentices, clients, family, friends and acquaintances, scholars, associates, and other architects.

There are over 10,700 photographic items in the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives related to Frank Lloyd Wright's personal life and the Taliesin Fellowship. This collection also includes portraits of Wright and his family members. Contact the department for further information.