Marion Mahony Griffin

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Marion Mahony Griffin
Men build, women decorate.
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
She was so homely, she was almost dignified.
Marion Lucy Mahony C. 1893
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
She seems to be the one person Wright dared not
patronize.
Marion Mahony Griffin and Kitty Wright 1895 Photo
by Frank Lloyd Wright
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
Although she was less than six years older than
Griffin, those who knew them in Australia assumed
she was at least ten years more.
Marion Mahony Griffin 1922 (51 years old)
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
Her achievement has been subverted over time
with representations that describe her as a kind
of overbearing crone.
Marion Mahony Griffin 1930 (59 years old)
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
She was taller than Walter.
Walter Burley and Marion Mahony
Griffin Castlecrag 1930
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
Marion Mahony Griffin James Birrell
Marion Mahony Griffin Sydney Morning
Herald March 1936
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Ugly, Unnatural, and Ridiculous
She is described variously as a battle-axe, or
completely dotty.
Marion Mahony Griffin 1938 (67 years old)
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Marion Mahony Griffin
While it can be shown that his wife exercised a
marked influence on his subsequent career in many
ways, there is no evidence that her manifest
talents extended to the design of buildings. A
superb draftsman and artist, highly skilled in
the decorative arts and interior design, she was
nevertheless extremely limited as a designing
architect.
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Not-an-architect
The interior decoration was somewhat bizarre and
was probably the work of Marion Mahony Griffin.
Ceiling, Capitol Theater, 1921-1924
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Not-an-architect
Consistent architectural conceptualization and
innovation were beyond her.
Ceiling, Capitol Theater, 1921-1924 Detail
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Not-an-architect
She was a gifted designer, perhaps more artist
than architect.
Capitol Theater, 1921-1924 Interior stairway
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Not-an-architect
it is probably true she lacked the the
imaginative mind to create a wide and rich
variety. . .
Capitol Theater, 1921-1924 Interior stairway
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Not-an-architect
there is no evidence her manifest talents
extended to the design of buildings.
Capitol Theater, 1921-1924
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Not-an-architect
she was an isolated planner of decorative
detail, but not an architect . . .
Capitol Theater, Foyer, 1921-1924
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Marion Mahony Griffin
Men build, women decorate.
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Decorative and Derivative
Café Australia Melbourne 1916 Mahonys
architectural style must be labeled derivative,
but essentially decorative.
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Decorative and Derivative
Church of All Souls Evanston, Illinois 1902-1904 D
emolished But her own work prior to her
marriage was inconsistent, lacked restraint, and
was not architecturally rationalized. . .
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Decorative and Derivative
Interior Church of All Souls Evanston,
Illinois 1902-1904 Demolished It is not a very
effective design.
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Decorative and Derivative
Ricker house Grinnell, IA 1910 (Walter
Burley Griffin) Why is it sacrilegious to
suggest that Mahony might have had an influence?
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Decorative and Derivative
Millikin Place Gates Decatur, Illinois
1910 the houses are solid, mature examples of
Wrights prairie house.
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Decorative and Derivative
Millikin Place and Irving house Decatur,
Illinois 1910 It seems quite certain that
Wrights participation extended beyond the
original sketch if only because of the pleasing
proportions and total harmony of parts.
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Decorative and Derivative
Irving house Decatur, Illinois 1910 Wright
completed working drawings for the Irving House.
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Decorative and Derivative
Adolph Mueller house Decatur, Illinois
1910 The design . . .deserves to rank among
Wrights most brilliant achievements.
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Decorative and Derivative
Adolph Mueller house, Rear Decatur, Illinois
1910 Griffin must have had a great deal of
influence on the design of at least this house.
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Decorative and Derivative
Robert Mueller house Decatur, Illinois
1910 The Robert Mueller house does indeed have
a sophistication in plan detail suggesting the
master.
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Decorative and Derivative
Amberg house GrandRapids, MI 1910 The
Amberg house is heavy and rather confused.
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Decorative and Derivative
Melson house Mason City, Iowa 1912 The
task of preparing architectural drawings was
usually left to others.
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Decorative and Derivative
Melson house Mason City, IA 1912 The
manneristic keystones seem an unfortunate bid for
novelty and the ashlar creates an extremely busy
wall surface. These characteristics, however,
would appear as Marions contributions to the
design.
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Battle Fronts and Police Lines
Therefore, not even the famous Mahony
renderings would seem to be her original
invention. Angophora lancelata CastleCrag
Sydney, Australia C. 1925
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Battle Fronts and Police Lines
Do you see? . . . These things cannot be seen by
the at present normal eye. One not trained
standing by does not see these things at
all. Fairies feedin Herons (detail) Mural,
Chicago Illinois C. 1931
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Marion Mahony Griffin
Men build, women decorate.