Frank Lloyd Wright

Samuel Johnson Woolf

ca. 1932 · Charcoal and white chalk on paper · The American Wing

Between 1918 and 1948, Woolf created charcoal portraits of notable figures and conducted interviews for the “New York Times Magazine” series “Drawings from Life.” His shoulder-length portrait of esteemed architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) was published in his January 17, 1932, interview, “A Pioneer in Architecture Surveys It—Frank Lloyd Wright Tells What He Thinks is Wrong with Our Skyscrapers and Calls for More Expressive Forms.” Wright’s facial features are carefully observed and accentuated with white chalk highlights, a contrast to the sketchily rendered jacket and tie. The architect’s own signature appears prominently as Woolf asked his subjects to sign their portraits as evidence of authenticity.

Artist

Samuel Johnson Woolf

Date

ca. 1932

Medium

Charcoal and white chalk on paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart P. Feld, 2014