About this artwork
Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin were both influential designers in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park studio. They won the competition to design the new Australian capital city of Canberra and moved to Australia in 1913. Written after Walter’s death in 1937, the unpublished “Magic” typescript is the biography of Walter and the autobiography of Marion, who also wished to clarify the roles played by Wright, Sullivan, and other architects in the development of Prairie School architecture. The approximately 1100 pages of annotated typescript are accompanied by an image collection of approximately 200 photographs, articles, and drawings selected by Marion.
View finding aid.
View the text - Magic of America: Electronic Edition.
View the image database - Magic of America: Electronic Edition.
Collection access:
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Oral histories
Contact the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives:
archives@artic.edu
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- AIC Archives
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Artist
- Marion Mahony Griffin (Author)
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Title
- The Magic of America
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Date
- Made 1937–1949
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Medium
- Typescript papers, printed papers, photomechanical prints and black and white photographic prints
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Dimensions
- 7 boxes and 3 portfolios: W.: 45.8 cm (18 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Marion L. Mahony Griffin to the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries in 1949
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Reference Number
- 1949.1
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
