American System-Built Houses for The Richards Company project (Exterior perspective of model E3)
Frank Lloyd Wright
American, 1867–1959
1915–1917
A lithograph by Frank Lloyd Wright advertising his American System-Built House model E3, intended to show how thoughtful, standardized design could make attractive, affordable homes for ordinary Americans.
At first glance the image arrests you with its flat, horizontal massing and crisp, geometric lines set against a deep sky, while the pale, blocky house, trailing vines, and bold red square and hand-lettered text below make the composition feel both domestic and deliberately modern.
The sheet documents Wright’s early effort to industrialize domestic architecture—bringing modernist aesthetics and systemized construction to middle‑class housing and influencing later conversations about prefabrication and suburban design.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
11 x 8 5/8" (27.9 x 21.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of David Rockefeller, Jr. Fund, Ira Howard Levy Fund, and Jeffrey P. Klein Purchase Fund
Accession
155.1993.14
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions