[Photograph] Frank Lloyd Wright and his defenders

Chicago, IL: Acme Newspapers, Inc, 1932. 9 x 6.5 inch black and white press photo, some wrinkling and toning. Photo depicts Frank Lloyd Wright with four of his students: Rudolph Mock, Karl Jansen, Sam Ratensky, and William Peters. On the verso is stamped "Nov 19 1932 N.E.A." A second stamp is partially covered by a clipping, which is taped and pasted onto the verso. The clipping reads: "Following a street fight in which C.R. Secrest of Madison, Wisc., is said to have fractured the nose of Frank Lloyd Wright, world famous architect, four students of Wright's trade and craft school at Taliesin, Wisc., drove to Madison, entered Secrest's home, and horse-whipped him until the victim drove them off with a butcher knife. In court the students plead guilty and are awaiting sentence."

The background of this incident is an argument in the street with C. R. Secrest. According to Brendan Gill in "Many Masks" (332), the argument was about Secrest's wife, who had worked at Taliesin. It was alleged that Wright owed her wages. During the argument, Secrest fractured Wright's nose. Wright's four apprentices were fined for horse-whipping Secrest, while Wright himself was eventually found guilty of witholding wages. He was fined, and afterwards he left town.