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This section describes the major features of "The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" website, provides basic technical information about the project, and lists significant changes made to the Digital Text and the Image Database.
"The Magic of America," a typescript of over 1,400 pages with approximately 650 accompanying illustrations, was written and compiled by Marion Mahony Griffin (1871-1961), architect, designer, delineator, and artist. In 1911 she married Walter Burley Griffin (1876-1937), architect, landscape designer, and city planner. Their architectural practice spanned almost four decades on three continents, and "The Magic of America" was meant, in part, to be a testament to their life and work together.
"The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" collates in a digital format all the texts and illustrations from the three known copies of the work. The electronic edition thus represents the most complete and accessible version currently available of this important architectural document. Comments are welcome.
"The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" website comprises five major components:
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Previous and Next—allow movement to previous or succeeding pages. |
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GoTo First Page and Goto Last Page—allow movement to the very first page or very last page of the entire work. |
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View Digital Text—links to the corresponding page in the Digital Text. |
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Clicking on a thumbnail image in the Digital Text opens a pop-up window with an enlarged version of the illustration.
The Magic of America: Electronic Edition (the "Site") is provided to you under these terms and conditions ("Terms and Conditions"), which The Art Institute of Chicago may revise at any time by updating this posting. By accessing or using the Site, you accept and agree to these Terms and Conditions.
You agree to use this Site only for purposes of research, informational, educational, or personal use, or for "fair use" as authorized by the applicable copyright laws, provided that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained on the materials and cite the author and source of the materials. The Art Institute of Chicago neither warrants nor represents that your use of any materials displayed on the Site will not infringe its rights or the rights of third parties.
If you wish to use materials from this Site for purposes other than as authorized herein you must obtain prior written approval. Permission for such use may be granted on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the Art Institute of Chicago or the appropriate rights holder. This Site, including all editorial content and the selection of arrangement of Site, is Copyright © 2007 The Art Institute of Chicago. For rights and permissions, contact:
Certain digital images are reproduced with the permission of The New-York Historical Society. For rights and permissions for those materials reproduced on this Site, contact:
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The Art Institute of Chicago believes that its presentation of this Site does not infringe any third party rights. If you have any information about the copyright of any materials on the Site that you would like to share, please contact:
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The Art Institute of Chicago assumes no liability for any errors or omissions in the content of the Site and further reserves the right to withdraw any materials from the Site at its sole discretion at any time. The Art Institute of Chicago assumes no liability for any damages or losses that may occur to you or any third party arising from or related to the Site. All materials on the Site are provided "AS IS" WITHOUT A WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE, COPYRIGHT SUBSISTENCE, COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP AND/OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHTS OR OTHER PROPRIETARY RIGHTS OF ANY THIRD PARTY.
"The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" is a project of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries of The Art Institute of Chicago. The Digital Text is based on the two copies (AIC1, AIC2) of "The Magic of America" (MoA) at the Art Institute. Any missing or additional text was transcribed from the New-York Historical Society's copy (N-YHS) of MoA. Illustrations have been scanned from N-YHS and sequenced within the text according to that copy. (See the sections on archival texts and editorial procedures, below, for more information about these topics.)
Prior to this project a microfilm of MoA, derived from AIC2 (for Section I) and AIC1 (for Sections II-IV), had been produced for the Art Institute. From this microfilm an OCR (optical character recognition) file was made and converted into a Microsoft Word file (Version 11.3.5).
The MSWord file was then edited and marked-up in TEI/XML (Text Encoding Initiative/Extensible Markup Language), following TEI's "Guidelines for Electronic Text Encoding and Interchange" (P4; 2002) and other helpful sources like Lou Burnard and C.M. Sperberg-McQueen's "TEI Lite: An Introduction to Text Encoding for Interchange" (2002). The MSWord file was then transferred, as a "Text Only" document, into oXygen XML Editor 6.2 where further editing and markup was done.
Using oXygen's "Configure transformation scenario" TEI HTML option, the TEI/XML was then "transformed" into an HTML (hypertext markup language) document for Web access. Because of the length of MoA and difficulties in translating XML tags through the transformation process into HTML, only the most basic TEI/XML tag sets were used (e.g., figure, lb, note, p, pb, and occasionally bibl). With regard to structure, the four Sections of MoA represent first level divisions (div1); title pages, tables of contents, frontispieces, prefaces or introductions, and "No.'s" (i.e., chapters) are treated as second level divisions (div2).
Text and illustration pages were scanned at 600 dpi (dots per inch) with 24-bit color. The images exist as archived TIFF (tagged image file format) images, with one or more JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) versions for general use and "thumbnail" GIFs (graphic interchange format) for the Digital Text.
Major scanning of the text and illustration pages was completed by 2006/2007. Initial TEI/XML mark-up occurred during 2006. Work on the "The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" was officially completed in August 2007.
Given Griffin's complex pagination system, a new numbering sequence was devised for the electronic edition consisting of section and page sequence numbers. A Roman numeral indicating the section number was kept, followed by a period and an Arabic numeral indicating the page number within that section. This pagination is labeled "Page Citation #" and can be found in the upper right-hand corner of every page within the Manuscript Facsimile.
Since this site uses frames, it can be difficult to determine the URL of specific pages within it. To remedy this issue, Page URL buttons have been placed in the upper right-hand corner of every page to assist those creating citatations or links to individual pages within the site. Clicking on the Page URL button of any given page will display the URL needed to reach that content.
Although there are numerous ways to cite web-based content, the examples below have been created using MLA Guidelines:
Griffin, Marion Mahony. The Magic of America: Electronic Edition. August 2007. The Art Institute of Chicago and The New-York Historical Society. 29 October 2008 <http://www.artic.edu/magicofamerica/index.html>
Griffin, Marion Mahony. The Magic of America: Electronic Edition. August 2007. I.48. The Art Institute of Chicago and The New-York Historical Society. 29 October 2008 <http://www.artic.edu/magicofamerica/link/moa_1_048.html>
Griffin, Marion Mahony. The Magic of America: Electronic Edition. August 2007. Section I. The Art Institute of Chicago and The New-York Historical Society. 29 October 2008 <http://www.artic.edu/magicofamerica/link/moa_1.html>
Significant changes made to the HTML and XML versions of MoA are recorded here. Entries, in reverse chronological order, follow the form: date of change, brief description of the change, and the name of the individual responsible for the change.
2008-10-30
Made changes to the "Introduction" by updating the "Editorial Procedures for the Image Database" section
and adding information on "Citations and Linking." Also, screens smaller than the recommended 1280x1024
resolution will now be able to scroll the Introduction's side menu.
Mary Woolever and Curtis Osmun
2008-10-16
Corrected a few typos in Digital Text and the TEI/XML supplements. Revised "Website: Navigation" section
of "Introduction." The following supplement has been revised to version 1.2.1: Full-text PDF of "The
Magic of America"
Curtis Osmun
2008-09-09
Castlecrag map supplements added
Curtis Osmun
2007-11-19
The following supplements have been revised to version 1.1: Marion Mahony Griffin Timeline; The Four
Ethers and The Threefold Commonwealth; Essays Attributed to Walter Burley Griffin in "The Magic of
America"; Full-text PDF of "The Magic of America"
Curtis Osmun
2007-11-15
Corrected a few typos in Digital Text and the TEI/XML supplements. Slightly decreased size of top banner
and added phrase "Electronic Edition." Page-number/Citation system added to Facsimile pages and other
sections; it is now possible to seamlessly link to specific pages of the website from external sources.
Curtis Osmun
2007-08-31
Splash graphic optimized
Curtis Osmun
2007-08-28
Website launch
Curtis Osmun
2007-06-29
Initial editing and TEI/XML markup
Ed Fishwick
Significant changes made to the Image Database are recorded here. Entries, in reverse chronological order, follow the form: date of change, brief description of the change, and the name of the individual responsible for the change.
2008-10-03
Numerous corrections to database entries. Added all compound objects (brochures, multi-page documents) that
previously had only a first page represented. Castlecrag map supplements added.
Nathaniel Parks
2008-01-18
Image database goes live.
Nathaniel Parks
2007-06-29
Initial database construction and metadata entry
Mary Woolever, Ed Fishwick
This section provides a description and history of the physical, archival texts of "The Magic of America" as well as an overview of its structure and a commentary on its content.
For a timeline of the life of Marion Mahony Griffin and an article on her life and work, see the Supplementa section. Citations to quotations from "The Magic of America" follow the form: Section, page (i.e., I.199 = Section I, page 199).
"The Magic of America" (MoA) by Marion Mahony Griffin (MMG) is a typescript of about 1,400 pages with approximately 650 accompanying illustrations. Currently three copies of the work are known to exist: two (AIC1, AIC2) at the Art Institute of Chicago and one (N-YHS) at the New-York Historical Society. (In editorial annotations MMG makes reference to a number of "sets" and even to an "original.") Microfilm is available for both the N-YHS and AIC copies.
The N-YHS copy [MssColl BV Griffin, Marion Mahony] is fastened into eight Accopress binders. The illustrations have been stapled onto sheets of paper and interleaved with the typescript text. The New-York Historical Society also has a Scrapbook of newspaper clippings from 1914-1924 about Walter Burley Griffin's work at Canberra. Of The Art Institute of Chicago copies [R&B Libraries 1949.1], AIC1 lacks the first of the four Sections (i.e., volumes) into which MoA is divided but has an almost complete set of the three remaining Sections; AIC2 has a complete first Section, but the remaining Sections are much more fragmentary than those of AIC1. The Art Institute copies are unbound, and the illustrations are in separate portfolios. The Art Institute also has complete copies of a number of brochures and pamphlets, some of whose images are found in MoA.
Three factors suggest N-YHS is a later version of MoA than the Art Institute copies: N-YHS is provisionally bound; its illustrations are interfiled with the typescript; and its text sometimes corrects errors or amends wording found in AIC1 and AIC2. Though basically very similar across almost fourteen hundred pages of text, N-YHS, AIC1, and AIC2 do differ in detail. Each has text and illustrations lacking in the other—evidence of the author's continuing editing process. MoA appears never to have been completely finished.
MoA is divided into four "Sections" (referred to as "Volumes" in N-YHS) containing both text and illustrations. Sections contain: a title page (or pages); table of contents; frontispiece portrait of Walter Burley Griffin (WBG), sometimes with accompanying text; a preface or introduction (in Sections I-III); and a set of individually titled "No." (Numbers, called "Chapters" in N-YHS). Especially useful as a general guide or outline for each Section are the tables of contents, which are as much a listing of illustrations as of written texts. At a number of points, however, the tables of contents do not exactly reflect the contents of the typescript. There may, for example, be differences between the page number given in the table of contents and the pagination on the page of text itself; a number of illustrations are found in the typescript but are not listed in the table of contents.
The four Sections broadly follow the same format. Section I, however, differs from the other three in being shorter, in indicating in many instances that an illustration (usually without a "caption") should be inserted within a page of text, and in ending one chapter and beginning another on the same page. These last two features disappear in the remaining Sections: illustrations for the most part are kept on separate pages and each chapter begins on a new page. In comparison to the first three Sections, Section IV seems more ragged and fragmentary, a sign perhaps that it was more hastily constructed than the others. In this Section chapters vary widely in length, illustrations are missing, and pagination is often inconsistent.
As many as three different page numbers can be found on any one page of text. One set of numbers—usually proceeding sequentially from "1"—must represent the initial transcription of originally separate and discrete materials, e.g., articles, presentations, essays. The other sets of numbers probably indicate the arrangement and rearrangement of these individual items into larger groupings—the higher page number signifying a later version. From this perspective MoA can be seen as a careful compiling or assembling of a large number of individual "set pieces."
The types of documents found in MoA are many and varied: materials from all aspects of the Griffins' professional and private lives are included. Personal correspondence is frequently quoted. Articles from newspapers and magazines by individuals other than the Griffins (usually with incomplete bibliographic citations) are reproduced. Much material appearing in MoA attributed to the Griffins themselves (usually with no citation) was probably published in popular magazines or professional journals. WBG's preliminary general plan for Canberra, an Australian government publication, is included in MoA, and MMG abstracts testimony from the Royal Commission investigating the work at Canberra. Selections of poetry and from plays are also quoted. Along with these more formal document types are more ephemeral kinds of writing. Many seemingly occasional pieces were probably originally talks or public presentations. Planning statements for unbuilt projects as well as reports and analyses of completed work figure prominently in MoA. Finally, there are MMG's reminiscences of her own childhood and adult experiences as well as her essays, often highly polemical, on various topics.
The illustrations in MoA are as diverse as the written materials. The work contains approximately 650 illustrations selected to accompany the almost 1,400 pages of text. The illustrations include photographic reproductions and reductions of architectural drawings and plans as well as drawings and photographs published in newspapers, magazines, journals, and brochures. Many of these illustrations retain a portion of the original text that was published with them. In addition to architectural subjects MoA includes pictures of landscapes, Australian flora, and individual people.
Aside from "copies" and published materials, MoA also has a number of "original" items: chiefly professional photographs (made, perhaps, in preparation for magazine publication), private snapshots, and, especially in Section IV, architectural renderings in pencil on tracing paper and some watercolors of MMG's All Souls Church. Other original materials include: the cablegram announcing WBG as the winner of the Canberra competition, a note from the Australian writer Miles (Stella) Franklin, old family photographs on pasteboard backing, an architectural rendering in ink on a satin-like fabric, and the pen and ink drawings accompanying the text of "Trees" (IV.370 ff). (For more information about the illustrations, see the introduction to the Image Database.)
In the New-York Historical Society copy the illustrations, as a rule, are stapled onto 8.5" x 11" sheets of previously used paper and interleaved with the typescript. This "scrap" paper consists of such things as the back of form letters from Lake Forest College (and some Castlecrag letterhead) and (early?) outlines of the arrangement of text and photos for MoA. While many of the illustrations fit within the dimensions of the page, a significant number are larger than the sheet and have been folded at least once to accommodate a standard page size.
In addition to two typescripts of MoA, the Art Institute of Chicago received a collection of approximately 250 illustrations along with four real estate development brochures for Castlecrag and Mossmain (Montana). These materials appear to have been separate from the typescript and had not been integrated into the text as they are in the New-York Historical Society copy. Many of the Art Institute illustrations are the same as or very similar to those from New York, though they generally lack the scrap paper backing found in the Society's copy. A small number of the Chicago images, however, are not found in the New York copy and represent unique items. The Chicago collection may be the original source for both duplicate and rejected images from which illustrations were drawn for MoA.
The major emphasis is on the Griffins' architectural work from 1913 to 1937, from WBG's winning the capital design competition in Australia to his death in India. Architectural work before and after this period is also included as well as much material on MMG's private life. Because MMG, like WBG, believed that architecture had aesthetic, social, environmental, educational, philosophical, and even spiritual implications, the range of subjects covered in MoA can be very broad—focusing primarily on architecture, but also ranging from speculations on the "formative forces" of the physical world to the best ways to organize human society.
MoA was most likely compiled and written between MMG's return to the United States in 1938 and the donations of the typescripts and illustrations to the New-York Historical Society and Art Institute of Chicago in 1949. (At that time MMG also gave some of her architectural and art work to Northwestern University and the Avery Architectural Library at Columbia University.) The period also coincides with the death of MMG's sister, Georgine, and the assistance MMG was giving her recently widowed niece, Clarmyra (Georgine's daughter), in raising her young children.
Some scattered evidence about the genesis of MoA can be found in the William Gray Purcell Papers at the Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota (cited hereafter as Purcell Papers). Purcell had been a close friend of Walter Burley Griffin since at least the beginning of their careers. On 29 April 1942 MMG wrote Purcell that her ". . . main interest is in putting together a sort of account of Walt's work." Doubting she would have the money to publish this account, she then describes it as "[t]hree volumes is the form in which I am at present handling it, one semi-autobiographical, one Canberra and Town Planning, the other An American Architect's Year in India." By 4 January 1947 she tells him the work is in four volumes (the form now found in all existing copies) and that "[Section] I - The Empirial Battle (that is the way I want it spelt)" is complete and the other volumes "nearing completion." On 10 April 1947 she writes Purcell that she is ready to send him "Vol. II - The Federal Battle." There appears to be no further information relating to the composition of MoA in the remaining correspondence. Internal references in the text itself also suggest that much newly written material comes from around the mid 1940s. The latest datable reference in the work is the inclusion (AIC1, AIC2) of a quotation from Charles Lindbergh published in September, 1948 (II.14). Though relating earlier events, much of MoA, it should be remembered, was compiled, written, and edited in the 1940s by a woman who was then in her 70s.
In March 1915, Marion Mahony Griffin (MMG) wrote to some of her MIT classmates, "Am doing so much writing of one kind or another that I have taken to the type-writer. I know it will be a relief not to have to puzzle over my writing. Though I am far from being an expert with the machine it is very much easier than writing and, I think, faster even with the short practice that I have had." (II.48) She had begun to master a technology which, several decades later, would allow her to efficiently (and legibly) transcribe the great mass of material that would serve to tell the story of the life and work of Walter Burley Griffin and of herself. On 10 April 1947 MMG wrote to William Gray Purcell, ". . . my idea in arranging these books - for there are four altogether - is that I (who have no particular interest in literature) want to get Walter's Architecture and Town Planning concepts before the general public by hook or by crook. . . . I want these seed[s] he has scattered to reach the earth so that they may take root and grow in the immediate future for truly man's existence on this earth in the coming decades is seriously threatened." (Purcell Papers)
The division of the work into four "books" or "Sections" is the fundamental organizational principle of MoA. Section I, "The Empirial Battle or an American Architect's Year in India," comprises the period from WBG's trip there in late 1935 to his death in early 1937; Section II, "The Federal Battle," and Section III, "The Municipal Battle," deal respectively with the Australian experience, the design and construction of the capital of Canberra (1913-1920) and the development of the residential community of Castlecrag (the 1920s through the mid 1930s); Section IV, "The Individual Battle," covers the Griffins' early lives and careers in Illinois and the Midwest (before 1913). The narrative, then, generally moves backward in time. But this reverse chronology is never strictly observed: text and illustrations from all periods may appear anywhere in MoA, just as the most diverse topics may be introduced at any point. The "subject" of each Section serves as an important focal point, but also as a point of departure for more broad-ranging discussions. Such a heterogeneous and protean work resists straightforward summary.
Section I
Section I, "The Empirial Battle," WBG's "year" in India, seems always to have been a part of MMG's conception of MoA. (See the Griffin-Purcell correspondence mentioned above.) She wrote of the time, "Then came that last year. Again the busy cram-ful years seemed like leisure days in the light of this driving year into which was crowded a life's experience and a life's work," (I.18) and later "[t]he full flowering of his [WBG's] work came in the last year of his life . . ." (IV.62). At the beginning of the volume MMG is in Australia and WBG in India (she would join him in the spring of 1936). Much of the Section I is epistolary: exchanges between MMG and WBG and letters to and from others. MMG recounts news and cultural events from Castlecrag (the subjects of drama and children will receive much greater attention in Section III), while WBG reports on his impressions of and work in India.
Considerable space is given to WBG's designs for the United Provinces (of Agra and the Oudh, now Uttar Pradesh) Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition. WBG's essay on "Architecture in India" (I.260 ff) offers an interesting interpretation of the history of world architecture and is illustrated by MMG with structures from the Exposition. There is also material on WBG's projects for several maharajas, his difficulties with the Lucknow University Library commission, and his work for the Pioneer Press Office and Works. He writes on seeing the Taj Mahal, "To me this was no less breath-taking than to any devotee who has ever sung its praises, and quite independent of the fact that, architecturally, I could see many things that should have been altogether different." (I.49) Both the Griffins believed in reincarnation. Reflecting on a possible previous rebirth, WBG observes, "My physical appearance does not suggest much of the Indian but I have a hunch that much of my architectural predilections must have come from Indian experience. This does not mean that the environment here provides satisfaction so much as that it provides stimulus and motifs for satisfactory imagination." (I.67) Throughout the volume the Griffins show a keen appreciation of Indian architecture and are remarkably open to Indian culture, both Islamic and Hindu.
Still, in the midst of all the activity in Section I, there is a persistent strain of tragedy—the sudden, unexpected deaths of Anna Ickes, MMG's childhood friend; of Charles Morton, a child at Castlecrag; and of Ronald Craig, a journalist and WBG's guide in India. This series of losses will culminate in WBG's own death in a hospital in India. Having just finished a rendering of a library for the Raja of Mahmudabad (and three days before her birthday), MMG saw WBG for the last time.
Toward the end his mind wandered and he talked swiftly but all about his work, calculations, demanding answers and when I gave him figures he heard me for he took them up and went on from there. And then quiet again. As the end drew near I talked to him telling him what a wonderful life I had had with him, how he was beloved by everybody, and suddenly he turned as if with a great effort and looked straight in my eyes, his own wide, round, startled as if it had never once occurred to him that he could die. His eyes never left mine till he drew his last breath and I closed them. (I.299)
Section II
Section II, "The Federal Battle," while also including letters, seems much more documentary than Section I, and contains materials ranging from published reviews of the Griffins' work to project planning reports to extracts from Australian government publications. WBG had won the international competition to design Australia's new federal capital, and, as the Section's subtitle suggests, there is extensive treatment of his conflicts with government officials over the planning and construction of Canberra. The heart of the Section is WBG's 1913 "Preliminary General Plan" for the capital (II.187 ff) and the 1916/17 report of the Royal Commission investigating problems with the work there (chiefly II.267 ff). MMG believed that the conclusions of the latter fully vindicated the vision of the former. A number of essays by WBG are reproduced, including two on "Architecture" (II.438 ff and II.461 ff). Also discussed are individual buildings like the Capitol Theatre (1924), Cafe Australia (1915-16), and Newman College (1915-18) as well as planning projects in Australia (Griffith, Leeton, University of Sydney) and the US (Emory Hills, Grinnell, Idalia). MMG even includes two of her planning proposals from the early 1940s, the World Fellowship Center (New Hampshire) and Hill Crystals-Rosary Crystals (Texas).
Section II also contains some of MMG's harshest criticism of bureaucracy and parliamentary government and of Australian attitudes toward class and non-Australians. To her mind the "permanent officialdom" of the civil service is the real power in parliamentary regimes, a force which actually controls the system of elected officials. She and WBG ascribed their many difficulties at Canberra to the government bureaucracy. MMG herself describes several brushes with a conservative Australian society, most notably in her attempts to "democratize," i.e., expand the role of women in, the Sydney Town Planning Association.
But there are lighter moments in this Section, too. MMG composes a satirical ballad, "A History of the Federal Capital in Verse," based on an old folksong, which chronicles the troubles at Canberra. (II.243-244) She also describes her and her husband's experiences at Pholiota ("The Mushroom"), a one-room house they built in Heidelberg, a suburb of Melbourne. She writes that here was "the one moment of pure romance in our lives" in "this first home of our own." The Section ends with MMG visiting Canberra after WBG's death and concluding that his vision for the capital has survived—or as expressed in her satirical poem, "And now we are sure we can rest content [/] 'Twill be well with the mission on which we're sent."
Section III
Section III, "The Municipal Battle," deals with Castlecrag, the residential community developed by the Griffins in Sydney during the 1920s and 1930s. Visually, the Section is dominated by the depictions of various Australian trees, the "initial" illustrations beginning each chapter. Derived in part from the so-called "Forest Portraits" and work inspired by a trip MMG took to Tasmania in 1918/19, the drawings are accompanied by colorful, and at times even lyrical, "captions." (See also the Griffins' remarkable photographs of Australian trees in the online "Pictures Catalogue" of the National Library of Australia's Eric Milton Nicholls Collection.) Nature, its beauty and its preservation, is a recurring motif in this Section. Along with a selection of WBG's "essays" on architecture in general, there are specific pieces by him on "Continental Preservation," "Plants," and "Avenue Trees." While MMG continues her attacks on the "Bureau-Crazy" and her recommendations for reorganizing society, there are also numerous reflections on nature. In "Beginnings" (III.83 ff), an essay which foreshadows similar passages in Section IV, she chronicles her childhood explorations of the natural world in Hubbard Woods, Illinois. MMG also expresses considerable regard for the capacities, knowledge, and wisdom of Australia's indigenous people.
The "high class" residential suburb of Castlecrag represents for MMG the successful incorporation of nature and the human community to the benefit of both. In the Section's descriptions of Castlecrag, some drawn from promotional materials and journalists' articles, the blending of nature and architecture is emphasized: the scenic physical setting of the development, the natural design and building materials of the houses, the non-invasive construction of the roadways and other routes, and the setting aside of "reserves" or parks. Considerable stress is also placed, largely from MMG's personal experiences, on the activities of the community, both social (parties, entertaining) and cultural (music, dance, and drama). The closing part of Section III, one of the longest in all MoA, is the text of a drama, "Mirrabooka," written by two young women from Castlecrag. The play, itself an echo of the end of "Faust Part II" reproduced earlier (III.326 ff), unites many of the motifs of Section III: architecture and landscape (as a stage setting), community (as both audience and actors), and "spiritual knowledge" (Anthroposophic and aboriginal).
Section IV
"Australia and India gave us our greatest joys as well as our greatest agonies," (IV.359) wrote MMG, and she now turns her attention to the United States in Section IV, "The Individual Battle," the last volume of MoA. MMG had returned to the US after almost twenty-five years abroad, and the Section itself contains much of MMG's own and her family's experience in America. This personal and family history, spanning three generations, is presented more or less chronologically throughout various chapters of the Section, which is enlivened by a number of poems by MMG's father, Jeremiah. The biographical material, actually begun in Section III with "Beginnings" (III.83 ff) and "Reminiscences" (III.182 ff), now continues with "Biography" (IV.106 ff), "Male & Female He Created Them" (IV.145 ff), "Thinking" (IV.161 ff), and "American Bourgeoisie All Inclusive" (IV.276 ff). Stories of family members and friends predominate, and there are clear similarities among the communities of Tremont, MMG's maternal grandparents' home, Hubbard Woods, MMG's childhood home, and Castlecrag.
The reminiscences conclude with the "Autobiography of Xantippi [Xanthippe]" (IV.303 ff), actually an account of WBG's and her canoeing trips, before and after their marriage, along the waterways around Chicago. Casting herself as Xanthippe, the shrewish wife of Socrates, MMG:
. . . with the wisdom of the serpent, suggested one day that they [WBG and she] buy together a canoe and explore some of the nearby streams. Little did she know what she was in for as a consequence of that innocent remark. Like the ancestors of her own family Socrates was, in every domain of life, an adventurer and thrilled with the idea of pioneering. She had simply been aware of the fact that men are dependent creatures and felt that if Socrates got used to being with her the need of her would grow in him. But he immediately saw worlds to discover and conquer and then and there their doom was sealed. She watched him in amazement as she did for the rest of their lives. He hadn't in the least made up his mind to marry her (though she had and that perhaps made a difference) but that was of no importance and could not for a moment be allowed to stand in the way of the undertaking for undertaking it was - to rediscover domains in the same pristine state of loveliness as in centuries gone . . . (IV.303-304)
Along with the sometimes arduous adventures of canoeing, scenes are described of great natural beauty as well as of industrial pollution. The passage ends with MMG threatening not to help WBG if he does not start work on the plans for Canberra. "And Socrates said nothing (He was such an amiable man) but started sawing wood. Oh my, Oh my, And so a new adventure was started." (IV.323)
The emphasis in this Section is on WBG's American work, but MMG, along with her general opinions on architecture and social organization, offers two glimpses of her own work in architecture and art education. She includes nine renderings of her Church of All Souls (Evanston, Illinois, 1903/4; demolished), which she inadvertently calls "Unity Church," and a brief account of her relationship with the clients (IV.182-183). Her views on art education for children are expressed in three passages: Bertha Nicholls's "Drawing Lessons" (IV.251 ff), and MMG's own "With the Fairies" (IV.256 ff) and "Trees" (IV.370 ff), the last with illustrations. WBG's architectural ideas, opinions, and principles are represented, but there are also essays by both the Griffins on additional topics like color, textures and forms, and interior furnishings.
Discussions of various town planning projects (e.g., Mason City, New Trier) lead to the presentation of two plans for the city of Chicago: WBG's plan (sometimes referred to as "Newton Center" or the "Newton Quarter Section") for the City Club of Chicago's competition in 1913/14 (IV.381 ff) and what was probably MMG's entry in the Chicago Herald American's Better Chicago Contest in 1945 (IV. No. 19-27, with digressions) which she calls "How to Bring Health to Chicago." MMG's plan seems very much a re-application for post-war Chicago of the ideas of WBG from three decades earlier—a final affirmation of her belief that lessons from the past can and should be applied to the present. The last illustration in MoA is of a "Ravine Dwelling . Castlecrag," her striking rendering which recalls not only her commitment to nature and architecture but also her own childhood experiences in the ravines of Hubbard Woods.
While MoA may seem like a vast assemblage or collage, it is also clear that the set pieces have been carefully arranged to provide variety for what is a very long text. MoA maintains a constant alternation and interplay between the personal and professional, the public and private, and the practical and theoretical. On 4 January 1947 MMG wrote to William Gray Purcell (Purcell Papers) of MoA: "I decided suddenly to combine the gossipy biography with the technical material. I am sure that is the only way to get them [the texts] read, even by the profession." The wide range of document types, the frequent shifts in time and place, the succession of topics—all add movement and interest to the text. Contributing no less to this effect is the relationship of the text and illustrations. There can be no doubt that the latter were of paramount importance to MMG. In a letter of 10 April 1947 (Purcell Papers), MMG writes of MoA: "What is valuable in architecture cannot be put in words. It must hit the eye. I would not mind if noone [no one] read the book through if they looked at the pictures. Tell me how those pictures can reach a wide audience." Sometimes the illustrations are accompanied by explanatory captions, sometimes they are not. It is often left to the reader to interpret how the text may elucidate the images and how the images might illuminate the text.
MoA ties together this panoply of texts and illustrations not through a strictly chronological narrative, but by what in rhetoric has been termed "repetition with variation." At times the repetition is quiet literal, but generally MMG takes themes and approaches them again and again from different perspectives. Among the many themes that unite MoA, three merit special mention: architecture and planning, nature, and children (particularly their early upbringing and education).
"Town Planning and Architecture Cannot be Practiced Separately" appears on the title pages of several Sections in MoA. MMG writes, "Planning must include a totality, from a continent to the tiniest unit, a single home in relation to its neighbors" (III.83) or, approaching the problem from the opposite perspective, "Town Planning Begins with One Lot" (II.25, IV.422). "Town Planning is a very broad concept. It may call for the perfect solution for a single lot or for any other unit such as municipality, state, continent or world." (II.27) For the Griffins the single unified activity of architecture and planning proceeds along a grand continuum and can express a society's (and a civilization's) values. The texts in MoA move easily between discussions of single structures and large-scale planning projects.
A reverence for nature pervades the text and many of the illustrations of MoA. The subject figures in both the Griffins' leisure activities and professional practice: from the canoe trips around Chicago and "tramps" around Castlecrag to their keen interest in botany, from their ideas about site planning and building construction to their detailed plans for landscape plantings. Nature serves as a source of beauty in itself and as an inspiration for the imagination of the artist (and architect). WBG believes the object of Design is "to harmonize Art with Nature" (IV.237, 239), and attention to natural setting is emphasized in all the Griffins' planning projects and particularly highlighted in the discussions of Castlecrag. The Griffins were intensely aware of the threat to the environment by modern development and insisted on the protection and preservation of the natural landscape and the creation of "reserves" (parks) for local residents. MMG in particular saw nature as "that greatest of teachers" (IV.147), especially of children. She describes Hubbard Woods, her childhood home, as "paradise" and as "God's university" (III.85; IV.147).
The Griffins had no children, but children, their reactions to the world and stories about them, are found throughout MoA. MMG especially was concerned about their upbringing and the non-formal aspects of their education. She gives much advice to others about raising children, but at the core of her thinking is the necessity of children having "open spaces" in the form of both nature and playgrounds. Her views are anecdotally expressed in her "adventures in misguiding" her niece, Alstan, and the neighborhood children at Castlecrag (III.138 ff), and find more formal expression in her examples of art instruction based on the appreciation of natural forms (see "Section IV" above).
These themes of children, nature, and architecture and planning merge in MMG's thinking:
The end, our aim, is to find a way to cure our sick civilization, to make it possible for our communities to function wholesomely, free from disease. This cannot be done unless we have a properly organized community. And this cannot be attained unless our children are properly educated. This is not possible unless all the children have access to nature, natural continuous contact throughout childhood - all of them. Otherwise they cannot develop inventive or creative powers to say nothing of health. . . . To give the children this is not possible without community planning which facilitates decentralization, puts an end to overcrowded cities and an end to wide open spaces too sparsely occupied. It interlaces the urban and the rural. (IV.420-421)
Mention should also be made of two of MMG's "beliefs" or "theories" that are frequently referenced in the work but never systematically explicated: the Four Ethers and the Threefold Commonwealth. The Four Ethers—Warmth, Light, Sound, Magnetism—are the four "formative forces" which constitute the physical world. The discussion of the Pyrmont Incinerator (III.439 ff) is the clearest example of the application of these ideas to architectural decoration. The Threefold Commonwealth—the Abilities, Economic, and Political "organs"—represents for MMG the structures by which society should be organized to allow individuals to realize their potential. The Four Ethers explain the processes of the physical world; the Threefold Commonwealth is an ideal which serves as a critique of contemporary society. The smashing of the atom, which revealed the world to be made of ether-like "forces," and the establishment of the United Nations, which was developing organizational structures similar to the Threefold Commonwealth, gave MMG hope that these ideas or theories would be more widely accepted. (See the Supplementa section for a more detailed description of these two topics.)
Certainly the story of MoA is told from a definite point of view: the interpretation of events is unfailingly favorable to the Griffins. Canberra, for example, is presented from only one side of the issue, and other difficulties (e.g., legal, financial) are often only briefly alluded to or not mentioned at all. If the Griffins' work seems never to be entirely successful, the rightness of their views appears always to be confirmed in the end. Moreover, in as long a work as MoA is, many interesting topics are left tantalizingly vague, e.g., the Griffins' belief in Anthroposophy, their adherence to the Single Tax program, the personal networks (social, architectural, political) in which they took an active role, and, most disappointingly, the full reasons for MMG's departure from India and then Australia.
As one would expect in a work whose every volume title contains the word "Battle," MoA is marked by strong antipathies. These antagonisms (some stemming from Progressive Era America) include the Parliamentary system and governmental bureaucracy, destruction of the environment, social class structures, colonialism, nationalism, militarism, racism, contemporary educational methods, certain architectural trends, materialism, dirt and vermin, and Frank Lloyd Wright. It could be argued, however, that MMG approaches these topics more in a spirit of anger than of hatred. These antipathies are treated as obstacles to be overcome, as examples of ignorance and self-interest to be dispelled when people are shown the correct path. And the right alternative is always at hand, whether it is the Congressional system and democracy instead of Parliamentary government and the civil service or the work of Louis Sullivan's "successor," WBG, rather than that of Frank Lloyd Wright. As MMG writes to her niece, Clarmyra, "There are always two points of view - one right. It is of vital importance that one should familiarize oneself with both and take upon himself the responsibility of deciding which is right." (II.260)
In MMG's efforts to present the most important ideas and the broadest perspective, a certain accuracy in detail is sometimes lost. Names, for example, are often misspelled or variously spelled; titles can often be inaccurate; and full bibliographic citations to published materials are lacking. But MMG is scrupulous in MoA in always attributing to others—though often without full detail—any work which is not by her husband or herself. She writes that in architecture, "I would grant that what one likes one can use . . . but cannot claim." (IV.92) This distinction is maintained throughout MoA and is fundamental to her criticism of Frank Lloyd Wright. (e.g., IV.62)
The architectural ideas presented in MoA show no kind of historical development. This apparent lack of evolution in WBG's thinking may be due in part to MMG's belief that in town planning and architecture "he was functioning before he left high school. . . . The first city plan he laid down was for a Chinese client for China [ca. 1906; see IV.59]. The underlying principles were clearly established here . . ." (IV.16) Of the principles of the Canberra plan of 1912 MMG wrote to her sister:
These fundamentals are so simple yet almost never put into practice - the simultaneous attack of the problems of distribution and occupation, the one requiring radial thoroughfares wide enough for all kinds of traffic, and the other requiring the complete elimination of acute angles by bringing in the distributive narrower streets at right angles to the thoroughfares. The third requirement is the bringing of the country into the city by making all residential blocks large enough in area to enclose open parks and playgrounds in their interior thus taking up no street frontage and so being no extravagance. (I.24)
WBG's architectural concepts were present, so to speak, from the beginning and now need only to be set forth.
Of the general principles urged for architecture and planning by the Griffins, only the briefest mention can be made here. WBG states:
Convention is not a proper basis for art. Art is not something that is put on to buildings or on to canvas or anywhere applied but it is the doing of some necessary thing in the best way that can be devised to do that thing; . . . (IV.232)
. . . [T]he stamp of the place is an essential element of each architectural problem, and any building, except the most vast, that is unsympathetic with its natural, human-natural, and artificial environment is neutralized and vitiated thereby. (I.261)
. . . [T]o attain beautiful results in architecture there must be no superficial requirements but purely rational ones and the whole effort of the architect must be bent toward the accomplishment of three things:- An absolute solution of the problem resulting from due consideration of all the elements which have any bearing on it; an honest use of materials in accordance with their nature, and perfection of form. (IV.124)
And MMG lists the three functions of town planning as:
1st - To protect and preserve natural features, so that the Earth may not die. 2nd - To facilitate safe and secure human intercourse. 3rd - To secure close and safe contact of all to nature and to provide domicile with humanizing contact and interplay between human beings, and between human beings and nature. (IV.459)
In the end, the best design is always for MMG not only the most beautiful but also the most economical and most practical.
But the primary focus of MoA is on the application of these general ideas to specific situations, WBG's "absolute solution of the problem." The integration of planning and architecture impressed MMG by both its "broadening of view" and "positiveness of action." (III.190) MMG writes that when she entered WBG's office ". . . [S]he had revelation after revelation, thrill after thrill. Problems which she had seen struggled over in office after office and never solved were being solved one after another." (IV.315) MMG notes in a caption to an illustration, "Griffin makes solving of problem the basis of design in architecture," (III.191) and later adds, ". . . [O]ne is not an architect until the problem is solved." (III.195) In fact, all of MoA can be seen (as MMG said of WBG's Canberra plan) as a statement of "the nature of the solution of the problem in both drawing and words." (I.302)
It is one of the curiosities of MoA that its protagonist, WBG, emerges as a much less vivid personality than its author, MMG. In MoA MMG cites a number of testimonials to WBG after his death. Edgar Deans, a Castlecrag friend, said he "was always patient, calm, courteous." (I.309) Noting WBG's charm, humor, good spirits, courtesy, kindness, and patience, Desmond Young, editor of the Pioneer Press in India, described him as "so entirely and so obviously selfless that there was something saintly about him." (I.320) MMG frequently mentions his amiability and the sweetness of his disposition, and remarks that no one could disturb his equanimity (IV.101) and that perhaps he even lacked the capacity for anger (IV.176, 178). Only rarely do any comments contradict this picture. Young did observe that WBG could be "obstinate"—but only in defense of a properly done job—and "intolerant"—but only with shoddy work. (I.320) MMG does mention once that WBG did not ". . . concern himself with the war [World War I] until the destruction of the cathedrals began when from his indifference to the loss of life (which I must confess shocked me a bit for his nature was sweetness itself in his human relations) he became incensed at such outrages and insisted the Germans should be wiped off the face of the earth. When I objected to his inconsistency . . . he brushed aside my arguments saying men could easily be replaced but how could one ever make up for the lost cathedrals." (III.349) WBG is portrayed in MoA much like the main character in Eunice Tietjens's poem (III.16), as a being called to a higher realm.
In contrast, MMG, perhaps because the reader learns so much about her personal life, is an intense, even overwhelming voice and presence in MoA—energetic, spirited, resolute, and resilient, with a "Romantic" sensibility and an ironic sense of humor. MMG, as her participation in drama, dance, and music would suggest, must have been a theatrical, larger-than-life, personality. There is the MMG who "drives out" the work of the office, who once "leaped at a draftsman and said, 'Oh, you naughty little thing. You have done that wrong,' " (IV.307) and who is called "Mother" by her apprentice draftsmen in India. There is the MMG who breaks her wrist practicing Russian ballet (III.153) and who at age 64 climbs a gum tree and saws off a branch interfering with some telephone wires (I.29). There is the MMG who says that the battle between light and dark made all the colors (I.233) and tells one boy that just as his father needs helpers at the factory so God needs the assistance of fairies (IV.261). And there is also the MMG who says twice that a draftsman friend called her a "plain looking woman" (I.289, IV.296), yet who also records two flattering and extravagant impressions she made on others—a friend who calls her "Vulcana" (I.146) and an acquaintance who describes her as a "Witch Goddess" (II.247). MMG adopts throughout MoA the persona of Xantippi (Xanthippe), not only the wife of Socrates but also an independent free spirit, "climbing trees that boys couldn't climb" (I.29, III.96).
The relationship between the two personalities of MMG and WBG must have involved some tension. At one point in Section III, MMG briefly alludes to leaving WBG and the Melbourne office and taking up residence alone in a boathouse at Castlecrag, a short period of "general testing of character" in order ultimately to develop "new faculties" (III.132). In a more extensive passage (IV.173, 175-176, 178-179) MMG describes the time she "threw up [her] hands and ran away, this time to America." Following the founder of Anthroposophy, Rudolf Steiner, MMG believes that in "real love" there must be "antipathy." She writes, "I myself . . . have said that it was absurd to look upon the marital relationship, if it were based on love, as having any relation to friendship, that it was more like that of enemies. I have told Clarmyra [MMG's niece] that one should not choose a mate as a friend but as an opponent, an opportunity worthy of her mettle." MMG casts her "conflict of interests" with WBG as a "warfare of philosophies," of Kant vs. Nietzsche, of reason vs. some unnamed alternative (perhaps feeling or emotion). She believes that only through anger—"One should boil with anger. There must be anger."—and the recognition of one's capacity for evil that the Ego can master itself to achieve "tranquility of soul" and "transmute [anger] into better judgments for the solution of life's riddles." The entire passage gives an added dimension to the Section's title, "The Individual Battle." Yet somehow these conflicts were ultimately resolved, and at the time of WBG's death the Griffins had been married over twenty-five years.
With regard to her relationship with WBG, MMG also says that she was "possessed . . . as if a demon took hold and shaped me to its whim. . . . [W]hen I encountered Walter Burley Griffin I was first swept off my feet by my delight in his achievements in my profession, then through a common bond of interests in nature and intellectual pursuits and then with the man himself. It was by no means a case of love at first sight but it was a madness when it struck." (IV.173) After WBG's death MMG relates the following exchange with the Australian engineer, James Alexander Smith, ". . . he said, 'No one can replace Mr. Griffin,' then after a pause, 'unless it is you,' and I replied, 'No I could not replace him but I was a very useful slave to him in his work.' " (II.245) Throughout MoA MMG portrays herself as completely in service to the ideas and work of WBG. This self-effacement seems to extend even to the point of removing any acknowledgment of her role as the author of MoA. On the Section I title pages of both N-YHS and AIC2, the words "by Mrs. Walter Burley Griffin" have been erased and replaced by "GRIFFIN & NICHOLLS".
So what then is MoA? The work is many things: an autobiography of a personal and professional education; a testament to the thought and work of WBG; an apologia for the lives of two "outsiders" in Australia and India, and perhaps even in America—part polemic, part manifesto, part exhortation. But MoA is no mere memoir, a simple chronology of reminiscences complete with illustrations. It is a kaleidoscopic omnium-gatherum of texts and images, which, if it could be more easily categorized, would be a much less interesting and engaging document.
And what is the "magic" of America? In any number of places (e.g., II.301-302, IV.274) MMG expresses the same idea:
Now I am convinced that in this second half of the 20th century the stream of immigration to the United States should flow on and Americans should emigrate to all parts of the world teaching the things that have been ingrained in their blood through the two centuries of the experience of democracy and should spread the knowledge of it throughout the world for elsewhere democracy is unknown. (IV.296)
There are many lovely and wonderful people elsewhere in the world but they are helpless. Migration to America frees their spiritual forces. That is the magic of the United States. . . . . The immediate task of Americans is to go out individually to every part of the world - emigrate instead of immigrate the watchword - and break down the bondage of individuals everywhere. (I.15-16)
MoA is a story about freedom and the obstacles, the "battles," it encounters—a story not just about the virtues of democracy but of personal action as well. Immediately after the sentence exhorting Americans to "emigrate" to "break down the bondage of individuals," MMG continues: "It is a difficult but not impossible task. It is the task of path-finders. The following is the story of one such American. He found individuals wherever he went who leaped to help him blaze the way in this battle against the Powers." (I.16) According to MMG, " . . . each generation is under obligation not only to do its own work but so to teach the succeeding generation as to cause progress." (IV.406) In this sense, then, the Griffins—in their lives and by their work—come to embody the true "Magic of America."
But perhaps the last word on MoA should be left to MMG, something that shows her faith in "The Magic of America" (as well as in Anthroposophy), her essential optimism, and her humor. On 24 January 1947 the almost 76-year-old MMG wrote to the 66-year-old William Gray Purcell (Purcell Papers): "Thanks for your letter. I had a good laugh over your magnificent pessimism. If nothing has been done about it [publishing "The Magic of America"] by 2047 I shall follow the matter up in my next incarnation and you might lend a hand then too."
This section describes decisions regarding the editing of the digital text of "The Magic of America." The section is divided into four parts detailing the general goals of the project, the arrangement of the digital text, editorial changes made to the text as transcribed, and glosses and notes added to the digital text.
The goal of "The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" is to present this long and complex archival document to the largest possible audience, specialist and interested reader alike. The digital text of the work has been designed for ease of both reading and browsing, and, as a "reading copy," to be as coherent and complete as possible. As a digital text the document becomes broadly available, readily accessible, and searchable. The aim in transcription has been to remain as true as possible to the original typed text and hand printed additions of Marion Mahony Griffin. No attempt has been made to record her purely editorial comments (e.g., "See if 273a & 273b are in Set. 1.") which are handwritten. Changes (e.g., corrections, notes) have been introduced to remove errors which would be distracting to the reader and to clarify obscure references.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly that the digital text is neither a reproduction nor an authoritative version of the original text. The final authority must remain with the artifactual text itself, either in its original form or in the facsimile formats of electronic and microform images.
The archival text of "The Magic of America" (MoA), as represented by two surviving typescripts (AIC1, AIC2) at the Art Institute of Chicago and one (N-YHS) at the New-York Historical Society, appears never to have been completely finished by Marion Mahony Griffin (MMG). The typescripts—though fundamentally very similar—do differ from one another in details. The tables of contents, for example, may be slightly different, or one copy may have text that is missing in one or both of the other copies. The digital text attempts to collate all existing texts into a single version. This collation, however, has been done only at the page level; the length of the text precluded systematic comparison at the paragraph or sentence levels. The base or copy text for the online version is the Art Institute's AIC2 for Section I and AIC1 for Sections II-IV. Missing or additional text has been transcribed from the New-York Historical Society's copy, and illustrations have been scanned from that copy. Any deviation from these general sources (e.g., AIC2 text appearing in Sections II-IV) is noted. (More information on the archival copies of the typescript can be found in the section "The Magic of America: Archival Texts," above.)
In cases where a conjectural reconstruction of the sequence of texts and illustrations was necessary, the sequence (though not necessarily the pagination) of entries in the relevant table of contents and the arrangement of the N-YHS copy were used as guides. These instances are noted in the digital text. Since the original text remains in a sense incomplete, some uniformity had to be imposed in creating the collated digital text. The division of the entire work into four "Sections" (or volumes) exists in all the typescripts. Within a Section the materials have been placed in the following order: title page(s), table of contents, frontispiece, introduction or preface, and "No." (i.e., "Number" or chapter). Beyond this overall framework, however, a number of issues arise regarding pagination and the placement of the illustrations.
While the pagination throughout the entire transcript is generally logical and consistent, there are points where the page numbering can be contradictory and confusing. The author's renumbering (reorganizing?) of pages often results in several different page numbers appearing on the same sheet. The latest page number is usually found at the top right page corner in Section I and at the bottom right corner in Sections II-IV. MMG also adds alphabetic letters to page numbers (e.g., 1a, 2a), probably to add new or rearrange existing text. The table of contents sometimes does not reflect the pagination in the typescript or follow a strict numerical sequence. (In the digital version such inconsistencies are noted in the table of contents and on the text page.)
The digital version of the typescript follows the pagination found AIC2 for Section I and AIC1 for Sections II-IV, unless otherwise noted. Page numbers in the digital text appear at the top of the page. A page number without any editorial qualification refers to the pagination of the typescript. Unnumbered front matter is named and if necessary given an ordinal designation (e.g., Magic of America Title Page, first page of the Table of Contents). Discrepancies in pagination are resolved by adopting the arrangement that most closely follows the sequence listed in the table of contents and the logical content of the text pages themselves. Although a page number appearing on the typescript is used whenever possible, if this number is incorrect or illogical or the page is unnumbered, a supplied page number is indicated in brackets. If two unnumbered pages were inserted in the typescript between page 19 and page 21, the pagination would be: 19, [20], [20-2], 21. If an unnumbered page were inserted between page 95 and page 96, the pagination would be: 95, [95-2], 96. For the electronic edition of MoA the order of pages follows as strict a numerical and logical sequence as possible regardless of inconsistencies in the entries of the table of contents or in the physical arrangement of the original typescript.
In N-YHS the illustrations are for the most part stapled onto sheets of "scrap" paper and interfiled with the pages of the typed text: in a few cases an illustration is attached at the top or bottom of a page of text. The sequence (though not necessarily the pagination) of entries in the relevant table of contents and the location of the illustrations in the N-YHS copy have determined the placement of illustrations in the digital text.
For ease of identification the title of an illustration in the text replicates the title listed in the table of contents. (Section I of MoA differs from the remaining three Sections in that MMG frequently indicates that an illustration should be inserted into the text at a particular point through placement of an explicit title, a "caption," or other reference. In this one Section illustrations have the titles given them in the text rather than in the table of contents.) Significant discrepancies between a title in a table of contents and the title on the illustration itself have been noted. If the table of contents does not have an entry for an illustration, a "supplied title" in brackets has been given to the image. If there is "caption" in the text for an image, this caption usually follows the illustration to which it refers. All illustrations marked as "Initial" are placed at the beginning of their respective chapters. The "Frontispiece" is given its own separate page.
The general principle adopted has been to let the text stand as it was written and to minimize editorial intrusion. The text, consequently, contains many instances of what might be considered unconventional or non-standard spelling, punctuation and capitalization, and writing style. Obvious errors which might prove distracting to the reader or might obscure meaning have been emended silently, i.e., without editorial notation. Again, the page images of the original archival typescript and illustrations remain the ultimate authority as to what has actually been written. Changes made in the digital text transcription are summarized below.
Spelling – Clear errors have been silently corrected. A number of older spellings have been modernized (e.g., "stayed" for "staid", "no one" for "noone"). Both British and American spellings of the same word appear throughout the text. Such spellings have been regularized to the American version ("civilization" for "civilisation," "neighbor" for "neighbour," "molding" for "moulding"), except in texts written by individuals other than the Griffins. One notable exception is the retention of the spelling of "theatre" which is often a part of a building's name. To simplify electronic display the use of diacritics has been avoided in the digital text. Abbreviations are usually spelled out (e.g., "architect" for "archt.," "railroad" for "R.R."). While every effort has been made to correct mistakes, errors will no doubt continue to exist, either carried over inadvertently from the typescript or as the result of computer and human transcription oversights.
Regularization – The names of well-known or frequently mentioned individuals and places have been standardized. This normalization, however, represents only a small number of all such references in the entire text. Dates have not been standardized. Plant names have not been verified.
Punctuation – For the most part the original punctuation has been retained (e.g., ;- and :- ). The use of optical character recognition in transcribing the text has meant that end-of-line hyphenation has survived only for unusual compounds. The digital text reflects accurately all remaining in-line hyphenation. All quotation marks ( “ ” or ‘ ’ ) are rendered as straight quotes ( " " or ' ' ), and the treatment of apostrophes is similar (i.e., ' for ’ ).
Format – The paragraph divisions of the original have been replicated, but the original line breaks have not. The two forms of emphasis in the typescript, underlining and all capital letters, have been maintained. The digitization process precluded the use of indents and centering, the lack of which will be noticed in title pages, tables of contents, plays, poetry, and tabular lists. The digital text retains, however, the general line structure of such elements.
Additions and Deletions – Textual insertions, usually hand printed, have been incorporated directly into the electronic text. Editorial notations (e.g., "get a photo of Wilder's barn"), usually in handwriting, were not transcribed. Erasures and other deletions, when legible, have been noted in the text. Inadvertent repetitions of text (and page headers in the tables of contents) have not been reproduced.
Textual and explanatory annotations have been kept to a minimum. No systematic attempt has been made to elucidate all the difficulties in the form and content of the text. Any annotation to the text will be displayed as "[Note: . . . .]," though in a few cases "[sic]" by itself has been introduced. Brief notes appear in the text, longer notes at the bottom of the page.
Notes include both comments about the organization or appearance of the text and explanations of various terms (e.g., personal and place names, family relationships, word definitions, allusions). Time and resources did not permit research into all the references made in MoA. In particular, very few personal names and almost no plant names have been checked and validated. Variant readings from the N-YHS typescript have been noted in the digital text, which is based primarily on the Art Institute copies. Conjectures have been noted with a "[?]", and obscure references, which could not be traced, have been allowed to stand. Some information about the illustrations will be found in the Notes to the digital text, but the Image Database contains much unique image-specific data.
This section gives a general description of the database of illustrations for "The Magic of America" (MoA) by Marion Mahony Griffin (MMG) and further defines the individual fields in that database.
Illustrations Found in "The Magic of America"
The Image Database consists of records both for illustrations found in the table of contents of MoA and for sheets containing illustrations which are not listed in the table of contents. Almost all the illustrations come from the New-York Historical Society copy, supplemented by a small number from The Art Institute of Chicago. Illustrations which are missing from the work and could not be supplied by either institution are noted in the database as "lacking."
Excluded from the database are purely informational—rather than artistic—diagrams (e.g., those for "The Technique of Sociology" II.241, "Threefold Commonwealth" IV.194, "Drawing Lessons" IV.251 ff). Also excluded from the database is unillustrated printed matter (e.g., "Plays Given In The Haven Valley Theatre" III.462, the abstract of the conditions and functions of the Canberra site II.187). For items such as these the viewer should consult the page scans of the archival text.
Portfolio Illustrations from The Art Institute of Chicago
In addition to two typescripts of MoA, the Art Institute of Chicago received a collection of approximately 250 illustrations along with four real estate development brochures for Castlecrag and Mossmain (Montana). These materials appear to have been separate from the typescript and had not been integrated into the text as they are in the New-York Historical Society copy. Many of the Art Institute illustrations are the same as or very similar to those from New York, though they generally lack the scrap paper backing found in the Society's copy. A small number of the Chicago images, however, are not found in the New York copy and represent unique items. The Chicago collection may be the original source for both duplicate and rejected images from which illustrations were drawn for MoA. The Portfolio illustrations are also contained in the Image Database. The four real estate development brochures will be found in the Supplementa section.
Editorial Procedures
All editorial annotations are placed in brackets [ ]. Among the conventions used in transcription are:
More specific information on the procedures followed in entering data into specific fields will be found in "Database Fields," below.
In identifying illustrations the following works have been particularly useful: J. Turnbull and P. Navaretti, "The Griffins in Australia and India" (1998); National Library of Australia – "Pictures Catalogue – Advanced Search"; M. Walker, A. Kabos, and J. Weirick, "Building for Nature: Walter Burley Griffin and Castlecrag" (1994); and M. Maldre and P. Kruty, "Walter Burley Griffin in America" (1996). "Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names Online" was used for many geographical locations.
The goal of the database has been to provide information which, while being selective, is also especially pertinent to the illustrations themselves. Some of this information will also be found in the Digital Text, but the Image Database contains much unique image-specific data. Sometimes the identifying information supplied by MMG may be vague or mistaken. Every effort has been made to supply relevant or missing information and correct mistakes and inaccuracies. In spite of such efforts gaps do occur: handwritten comments could not always be read completely, and not every structure or illustration subject could be identified.
The field "Architect/Designer/Creator" is a personal and corporate name list including architects (both individuals and firms), builders, artists, and authors. For a geographic search, the city, state/province, and country are separate fields and can be searched individually. The "Title/Project/Name" field includes architecture and planning projects, as well as persons appearing in photographs. Additional identification and annotations on the illustrations are placed in the "Image Notes" field. The sub-collection name indicates the repository holding the specific illustration. The field "Original Image Format" notes the medium of the original image, not always the same as that of the physical object in MoA. "MOA Chapter reference" cites the location of the illustration in the text giving section, chapter and page number.
The database may be searched by keyword, or may be browsed by "Architect/Designer/Creator," by "Geographic Area," or by "Title/Project Name/Person." Results are displayed in a thumbnail image and brief description. Clicking on the image will produce a more detailed description of the illustration.
Searching Tips
The illustrations from MoA are located within a larger database of images from the Ryerson & Burnham Archives at the Art Institute of Chicago. This "Archival Image Collection" database contains additional Griffin images and images of other Prairie School architects' projects.
This section acknowledges those who helped create "The Magic of America: Electronic Edition" and contact information for those who wish to comment on the project.
The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries of The Art Institute of Chicago would especially like to thank staff from the New-York Historical Society—Jean Ashton, Vice President and Library Director; Maurita Baldock, Curator of Manuscripts; Alan Balicki, Chief Conservator; David Burnhauser, Collections Manager; and Jill Reichenbach, Director of Rights and Reproductions—for agreeing to the extended loan of the Society's copy of "The Magic of America" for scanning and study. This material has added immeasurably to the final product. As Marion Mahony Griffin once wrote, "What is valuable in architecture cannot be put in words. It must hit the eye. I would not mind if no one read the book through if they looked at the pictures. Tell me how those pictures can reach a wide audience." Hugh Wilburn, Librarian of the Frances Loeb Library at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, was instrumental in loaning a microform of the "The UP [United Provinces] Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition, Lucknow: Album" for scanning.
Members of the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries staff who have contributed significantly to the electronic edition include: Jack Perry Brown, Director; Mary Woolever, Architecture Archivist; Nathaniel Parks, Assistant Archivist; Curtis Osmun, Systems Librarian; Christine Fabian, Conservator; Cecile Webster, Conservation Assistant; Patrick Rogers (former Digital Imaging Technician); Joseph Tallarico, Digital Imaging Technician; Joel Cronkite, Library Assistant; Karen Ambrose, Volunteer; Maya Manny, Volunteer; and Ed Fishwick, Special Projects Editor.
Funding came from various sources. We are particularly grateful for the support of the Vernon & Marcia Wagner Access Fund; the Julius Lewis Fund for Library Salaries; Mrs. Roderick S. Webster; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and an anonymous donor.
The project welcomes your inquiries and comments about "The Magic of America: Electronic Edition." Please address all communications to:
The Art Institute of Chicago
Ryerson & Burnham Libraries (Archives)
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603-6404
rbarchives@artic.edu
