File:Peacock side chair - Frank Lloyd Wright (24895614317).jpg

"Peacock" side chair by Frank Lloyd Wright, on display as part of the "Jazz Age" exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was born in Wisconsin and attended (but did not graduate) from Madison High School. He was admitted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He left without graduating. A traditional architect at first, he began designing homes on the side -- which got him fired from his first job. He experimented with several styles from 1893 to 1900 before settling on what was known as the Prairie Style. Over the next 60 years, he designed more than 500 built structures, including churches, schools, skyscrapers, homes, hotels, and museums. His masterwork, Fallingwater, was completed in 1937. Not all his work was successful. Wright's concept for suburban communities ("Broadacre City") was hopelessly wedded to the automobile. His theory of modern living (the Usonian House), kept the wife in the kitchen and forced an open floor plan. His office building interiors, with their open floor plans and cubicle farms are now considered woefully 19th century.

Wright often designed interior elements for his buildings, including furniture and stained glass. Much of his interior design was deeply influenced by the Arts & Crafts Movement, which was an important element in his work prior to 1900.

This chair, designed about 1921 or 1922 for use in the Tokyo Imperial Hotel, is made of oak and features leatherette (plastic mimicking leather) upholstery. It is deeply influenced by Mayan and traditional Japanese elements.

1. CMAJazzAge