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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.

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.

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.