Louis H. Sullivan (American, 1856-1924)
A Rare Original Manuscript for Democracy (A Man-Search), circa 1908
13-1/2 x 9-1/4 inches (34.3 x 23.5 cm)
Cloth-bound carbon-printed paper, with ink and pencil notations with Louis Sullivan's calling card adhered to inside front cover

PROVENANCE:
Louis Sullivan;
Gifted to Dr. George Arndt, circa 1908;
Thence by descent.

Accompanied by two issues of The Prairie School Review  from 1973, a copy of The Montessori Method, inscribed by Sullivan to Mrs. Arndt and a letter by Dr. Arndt's daughter, Mary Arndt Rahming, regarding Sullivan and Arndt's friendship. Louis Sullivan, considered "the father of skyscrapers," was a highly renowned and influential architect of the Chicago School, most well known for his collaboration with Dankmar Adler and his mentorship to Frank Lloyd Wright. With the advent of steel-frame construction technology, Sullivan was able to create buildings taller than ever before. He had a fascination with Greek and Roman architecture, and as such, his modern style was inspired by the aesthetics and proportions of classical columns -- exaggerating vertical elements, minimizing horizontal elements, and stripping away much of the ornamentation. Having completed such masterpieces as the Auditorium Building in 1889 and the Wainwright Building in 1891, he reached an impasse in his career following the Columbian Exposition of 1893, which ushered in a renewed demand for Neoclassical style buildings. Sullivan believed in experimentation and exploration of an endless variety of new forms and design elements, building on the foundations of architectural traditions, but rejecting dogmatic repetition and recapitulation of styles and movements stuck in the past. After the dissolution of his partnership with Adler in 1894, Sullivan's commissions slowed down as he was unwilling to sacrifice his vision to satisfy the stylistic demands of the time. As a result, his attention shifted from architecture to writing.

Democracy: A Man-Search is Louis Sullivan's second book, published posthumously in 1940. By all available historical accounts, there are merely three known completed manuscripts: a copy written in pencil in Sullivan's hand, dated March 31, 1906, housed at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in New York City, and two carbon copies dated April 18, 1908, held at the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries in Chicago. The present manuscript was previously unknown, having been held in private collection since Sullivan gifted the manuscript to Dr. George Arndt, Sullivan's close friend and confidant, in whose family it has since remained. The Arndt manuscript is a third carbon copy, bound, with labels on the hardcover and spine written in Sullivan's hand, with his calling card adhered to the inner front cover. Within the pages are pencil and ink edits, correcting typos and formatting errors, few of which made it into later typed versions of the book. While the Arndt manuscript appears to have been completed in a close timeframe with the two carbon copies from 1908 (all three have similar binding, dimensions, and pages), the exact date is unknown. In comparing the handwritten edits in the dated copies and the Arndt manuscript, the latter has fewer typed revisions to the text and fewer handwritten edits, so it is likely a third draft completed in the same year.

Democracy acts as a segue between his earlier Kindergarten Chats and his later Autobiography of an Idea, writings still used by architects and architectural historians today. It served as an experimental attempt at combining philosophical musings, poetry, and narrative into one grand statement on the virtues of democracy and the power of the individual. This manifesto postulates that since the dawn of consciousness, man has built society on the basis of a fear of that consciousness, which lead to a cycle in which civilizations "grew, decayed, and fell" -- demonstrating his fascination with cycles found in nature, inspired by Transcendentalist notions. With the Columbian Exposition serving as a catalyst, Sullivan became increasingly frustrated with what he perceived to be the failings of American society, evidenced by an increasing chasm separating rich from poor, an inadequate education system, and a corrupt political system, to name a few such concerns (Group II, Chapter 6). Of interesting note, Sullivan gifted Dr. Arndt's wife a copy of The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori, published in 1909, which further demonstrates his interest in alternative education philosophy. Motivated by his belief in embracing consciousness, rejecting fear, as well as individual power in aggregate, Sullivan outlines his solution for harnessing the latent power present in society to overhaul these systems and give birth to a better and stronger America.

While Sullivan's writings have held a lesser place in consideration of his contributions to modern architecture and related theory, they are a form of expression that Sullivan contributed vast amounts of energy, time, and thought. Though his publications are few, they represent a broad and deep well of consideration for the subjects Sullivan cared most deeply about: individualism, innovation, and social progress. This manuscript remains a rare artifact, representing the practice and process of a major undertaking by one of this country's most influential architects and a celebrated thinker.

Alternate Artist Spellings: "Louis H. Sullivan", "Sullivan, Louis H.", "Sullivan, Louis Henri"

Wear and handling creases to the manuscript and ephemera indicative of age and use.