Mamah Borthwick
Encyclopedia
Martha "Mamah" Borthwick (June 19, 1869 - August 15, 1914) is primarily noted for her relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright
, which ended when she was murdered.
Borthwick earned her BA
at the University of Michigan
in 1892. She later worked as a librarian in Port Huron, Michigan
. In 1899, Borthwick married Edwin Cheney
, an electrical engineer
from Oak Park, Illinois
, USA
. They had two children: John (1902) and Martha (1905).
Mamah met Wright's wife, Catherine, through a social club. Soon after, Edwin commissioned Wright to design them a home, now known as the Edwin H. Cheney House
, and, , housed an apartment below where her sister Elizabeth Bouton Borthwick lived.
In 1909, Mamah (now formally known as Martha Borthwick Cheney, although she stopped using her husband's name after they divorced in 1911) and Wright chose to leave their respective spouses and travel to Europe
. Upon returning from Europe, most people in their previous social circle considered their open closeness to be rather scandalous, especially since Catherine had refused to agree to a divorce (and wouldn't until 1922). The editor of the local newspaper in Spring Green, Wisconsin
condemned Wright for bringing scandal to the village; even big city Chicago papers joined in the criticism, implying Wright would soon be arrested for immorality, despite statements from the local sheriff that he couldn't prove the couple was doing anything wrong. The scandal affected Wright's career for several years. He didn't receive his next major commission, the Imperial Hotel
, until 1916.
In 1911, Borthwick began translating the works of the noted Swedish feminist thinker and writer Ellen Key
.
On August 15, 1914, one of Wright's recently hired domestic worker
s, Julian Carlton, murdered Mamah, her two children, three of Wright's associates, and a son of one of the associates. Carlton set fire to one wing of Wright's house, Taliesin
, and then he hacked the seven people with an ax while it burned. At the time, Wright was overseeing work on Midway Gardens
in Chicago, Illinois.
A detailed nonfiction account of the tragedy at Taliesin is provided in Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan.
, a novel by Nancy Horan
. She is also a subject of T.C. Boyle's 2009
twelfth novel, The Women
.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101170584
An opera
, Shining Brow
, covers the story of the Cheneys and the Wrights, from when they meet in Wright's office, through the aftermath of Mamah's death. Music was composed by American
composer
Daron Hagen
with a libretto by Paul Muldoon
.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, which ended when she was murdered.
Borthwick earned her BA
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1892. She later worked as a librarian in Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
. In 1899, Borthwick married Edwin Cheney
Edwin Cheney
Edwin Henry Cheney was an electrical engineer from Oak Park, Illinois, USA. Edwin has a goofy personality... but very loving and intelligent at the same time....
, an electrical engineer
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They had two children: John (1902) and Martha (1905).
Mamah met Wright's wife, Catherine, through a social club. Soon after, Edwin commissioned Wright to design them a home, now known as the Edwin H. Cheney House
Edwin H. Cheney House
Edwin H. Cheney House located in Oak Park, Illinois, United States, was Frank Lloyd Wright's design of this residence for electrical engineer Edwin Cheney. The house is part of the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District...
, and, , housed an apartment below where her sister Elizabeth Bouton Borthwick lived.
In 1909, Mamah (now formally known as Martha Borthwick Cheney, although she stopped using her husband's name after they divorced in 1911) and Wright chose to leave their respective spouses and travel to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Upon returning from Europe, most people in their previous social circle considered their open closeness to be rather scandalous, especially since Catherine had refused to agree to a divorce (and wouldn't until 1922). The editor of the local newspaper in Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,444 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green.-Geography:Spring Green is located at ....
condemned Wright for bringing scandal to the village; even big city Chicago papers joined in the criticism, implying Wright would soon be arrested for immorality, despite statements from the local sheriff that he couldn't prove the couple was doing anything wrong. The scandal affected Wright's career for several years. He didn't receive his next major commission, the Imperial Hotel
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, was created in the late 1880s at the request of the Japanese aristocracy to cater to the increasing number of western visitors to Japan. The hotel site is located just south of the Imperial Palace grounds, next to the previous location of the Palace moat...
, until 1916.
In 1911, Borthwick began translating the works of the noted Swedish feminist thinker and writer Ellen Key
Ellen Key
Ellen Karolina Sofia Key was a Swedish difference feminist writer on many subjects in the fields of family life, ethics and education and was an important figure in the Modern Breakthrough movement...
.
On August 15, 1914, one of Wright's recently hired domestic worker
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
s, Julian Carlton, murdered Mamah, her two children, three of Wright's associates, and a son of one of the associates. Carlton set fire to one wing of Wright's house, Taliesin
Taliesin (studio)
Taliesin , near Spring Green, Wisconsin, was the summer home of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright began the building in 1911 after leaving his first wife, Catherine Tobin, and his Oak Park, Illinois, home and studio in 1909. The impetus behind Wright's departure was his affair with...
, and then he hacked the seven people with an ax while it burned. At the time, Wright was overseeing work on Midway Gardens
Midway Gardens
Midway Gardens was a 300’ square indoor/outdoor entertainment facility in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. It was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who also collaborated with sculptor Alfonso Iannelli on the famous “sprite” sculptures decorating the facility...
in Chicago, Illinois.
A detailed nonfiction account of the tragedy at Taliesin is provided in Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan.
Portrayals in popular culture
Mamah's time with Frank Lloyd Wright is the basis of Loving FrankLoving Frank
Loving Frank is an American novel by Nancy Horan published in 2007. It tells the story of Mamah Borthwick and her illicit love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright amidst the public shame they experienced in early twentieth century America. This fictional account told from a new perspective, that of...
, a novel by Nancy Horan
Nancy Horan
Nancy Horan is the American author of Loving Frank, a novel about Mamah Borthwick and her relationship with American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Horan was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction by the Society of American Historians on April 17, 2009, for works...
. She is also a subject of T.C. Boyle's 2009
2009 in literature
The year 2009 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*8 October - Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature....
twelfth novel, The Women
The Women (2009 novel)
The Women is a 2009 novel by T. C. Boyle. It is a biographical novel of Frank Lloyd Wright, told through his relationships with four women: the young Serbian dancer Olgivanna; Miriam, the morphine-addicted and obsessive Southern belle; Mamah, whose life ended in a massacre at Taliesin, the home...
.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101170584
An opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, Shining Brow
Shining Brow
Shining Brow is an English language opera by Daron Hagen, first performed by the Madison Opera in Madison, Wisconsin, April 21, 1993. It is based on events in the life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright...
, covers the story of the Cheneys and the Wrights, from when they meet in Wright's office, through the aftermath of Mamah's death. Music was composed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Daron Hagen
Daron Hagen
Daron Aric Hagen , is an American composer, conductor, pianist, educator, librettist, and stage director of contemporary classical music and opera.- Early life and education :...
with a libretto by Paul Muldoon
Paul Muldoon
Paul Muldoon is an Irish poet. He has published over thirty collections and won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. He held the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry from 1999 - 2004. At Princeton University he is both the Howard G. B. Clark ’21 Professor in the Humanities and...
.