Villa for Mr. H. W. Winslow in River Forest, Illinois, Entrance Detail

Wright’s first independent project after working with the firm of Adler and Sullivan from 1887 to 1893, the Winslow House exhibits strong influences from Wright’s former employer and “Lieber Meister” (beloved master) Louis Sullivan, notably the energetic vegetative ornament, which appears outside the house in its upper register, or frieze. Through its crisply defined façade and low, hipped roof, it also expresses Wright’s growing interest in the manipulation of geometries to achieve a distinctive look for home designs that would soon be realized in his Prairie houses of the coming decade. The asymmetrical placement of the image and the flowing rendering of the trees with their individual leaves reflect the powerful influence of Japanese art upon Wright.