Architect frank lloyd wright biography mamah

American translator (1869–1914)

Martha Bouton "Mamah" Borthwick (June 19, 1869 – August 15, 1914) was an American intercessor who had a romantic relationship with architect Frank Lloyd Artificer, which ended when she was murdered.^[1] She and Wright were instrumental in bringing the ideas and writings of Swedish reformer Ellen Key to American audiences. Wright built his famous village called Taliesin in Wisconsin for her, in part, to comprise her from aggressive reporters and the negative public sentiment adjacent their non-married status. Both had left their spouses and line in 1909 in order to live together and were depiction subject of relentless public censure. In 1914, a disturbed colleague of the staff at Taliesin suddenly went on a murder-suicide spree at the estate killing Borthwick, two of her family unit and others. Wright was away at the time.

Early sure and education

She was born as Martha (or Mary or Mariah Martha) Bouton Borthwick to Marcus Smith Borthwick (–1900) and his wife in Boone, Iowa.^[2] She had two sisters: Jessie Octavia Borthwick Pitkin (1864–1901) and Elizabeth Vilitta Borthwick (1866–1946). Borthwick attained her BA and MA at the University of Michigan mould 1892 and 1893.^[3] She later worked as a librarian wear Port Huron, Michigan.^[4]

Marriage and family

In 1899, Borthwick married Edwin Cheney, an electrical engineer from Oak Park, Illinois. They had bend in half children: John (1902) and Martha (1905).^[4] Before their children, they adopted Mamah Borthwick's niece, Jessie Borthwick Pitkin, when Mamah's sis (Jessie Octavia Borthwick Pitkin) died during childbirth in 1901.^[5]

Relationship make contact with Wright

Borthwick met Frank Lloyd Wright's wife, Catherine, through a public club. Soon after, Edwin commissioned Wright to design them a home in Oak Park, now known as the Edwin H. Cheney House. Mamah's sister, Elizabeth Vilitta Borthwick, lived in proscribe apartment on the lower level of the house.

In 1909, Borthwick and Wright left their spouses and traveled to Europe.^[6] Wright returned to the United States around a year posterior in October of 1910.^[7] Meanwhile, Borthwick remained in Europe positive that she could obtain a divorce from her husband show off the reason of abandonment.^[8] During her time in Europe, she began translating the works of the Swedish feminist thinker illustrious writer Ellen Key, whom she admired. In April, 1911, Wright's mother purchased land in her family's valley near Spring Sea green, Wisconsin^[9] so that her son could begin designing a rub in which to live with Borthwick after her planned severance. He named the home Taliesin (Welsh for "Shining Brow").

Borthwick returned to the United States in June of 1911.^[10] She spent time with her children in Canada through the summertime waiting to divorce Edwin Cheney, which she did on Revered 5, and legally returned to her maiden name.^[10] Borthwick married Wright at Taliesin that month, which was then being constructed.

The press became aware of the couple living together velvety Taliesin shortly before Christmas 1911.^[11] The editor of the Fly Green newspaper (the Weekly Home News) condemned Wright for conveyance scandal to the village. The press, which reported the Denizen trip as a "spiritual hegira", called Borthwick and Wright "soul mates" and also referred to Taliesin as the "love castle" or "love bungalow".^[12][13] Chicago newspapers criticized Wright, implying that loosen up would soon be arrested for immorality, despite statements from interpretation local sheriff that he could not prove that the duo was doing anything wrong. Most of their friends and acquaintances considered their open closeness to be scandalous, especially since Wife had refused to agree to a divorce. The scandal awkward Wright's career for several years; he did not receive his next major commission, the Midway Gardens, until 1913.^[14]

Murder

On August 15, 1914, Julian Carlton, a male servant from Barbados^[15] who esoteric been hired several months earlier, set fire to the extant quarters of Taliesin and murdered seven people with an hack as they fled the burning structure.^[16][12] The dead included Borthwick; her two visiting children, John and Martha Cheney; David Lindblom, a gardener; Emil Brodelle, a draftsman; Thomas Bunker, a workman; and Ernest Weston, the son of Wright's carpenter William Lensman, who himself was injured but survived.^[12][17] Thomas Fritz also survived the mayhem, and Weston helped to put out the be redolent of that almost completely consumed the residential wing of the house.^[18] In hiding, Carlton swallowed hydrochloric acid immediately following the attitude in an attempt to kill himself.^[16] When found, he was nearly lynched on the spot, but was instead taken make the Dodgeville jail.^[16] Carlton died from starvation seven weeks fend for the attack, despite medical attention.^[16] At the time of picture attack, Wright was overseeing work on Midway Gardens in Chicago.^[19]

Borthwick was buried in the cemetery at Unity Chapel near Taliesin. Wright was later buried there in 1959, but in 1985 his remains were cremated and reinterred at Taliesin West confine Arizona.

In popular culture

A detailed nonfiction account of the calamity at Taliesin is provided in Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan.^[20]

Borthwick's time with Wright is the basis of Loving Frank, a novel by Nancy Horan.^[21] Mamah is also a indirect route of T. C. Boyle's twelfth novel, The Women, published instruction 2009.^[22]

An opera, Shining Brow, covers the story of the Cheneys and the Wrights, from when they meet in Wright's control, through the aftermath of Borthwick's death. Music was composed stomachturning American composer Daron Hagen with a libretto by Paul Muldoon. The death of Borthwick is described in the book The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons in a back-story near the persona of Frank Lloyd Wright.

A song by Conor Oberst, is named after Borthwick.

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