Square Usonian Hassock, ca. 1940

This hassock, or footstool, is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s earliest Usonian designs. The term “Usonian” was first used in 1865 by American writer James Duff Law as a more precise way to describe the United States rather than “American,” which technically includes Canada, Latin, and South America. Wright appropriated the term, misidentifying its origin as Samuel Butler’s utopian novel, Erewhon. The architect’s Usonian ideology was a utopian rejection of the International Style of the 1930s and favored instead organic design that incorporated natural materials and integrated ornament. These elements, Wright felt, were better suited for comfortable, modern living. His Usonian concepts also position the single-family home as the building block of modern society, bolstering his attitude that homes and objects should be uniquely designed for their occupants and users. Although Wright’s Usonian development concept Broadacre City never took root, he designed a number of Usonian homes and furnishings at moderate price points that tempered and democratized modernism with regional materials, simple forms, and an emphasis on the individual.

Despite the fact that it was stated to have been constructed locally in Alabama, and generally local craftsmanship was used, this hassock does not appear to be from the only known Wright house in Alabama, the Rosenbaum House in the town of Florence, commissioned by Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum and completed in 1940. Like all Usonian furniture, the hassock was designed to be constructed on-site by local carpenters; Wright’s only specifications were for plywood and simple upholstery panels. The hassock’s small, modular form make it well-suited for any room in a Usonian house; it is a simple, highly functional piece that would have provided versatile seating and a small amount of storage beneath the removable cushion. Wright’s square hassocks were present in the majority of his Usonian homes and were basic and adaptable enough to become part of the total work of art that Wright sought to achieve in each of his designs.

Square Usonian Hassock, ca. 1940; Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (American, 1867–1959); blonde mahogany (philippine bataan), plywood, leather; H x W x D: 43.2 × 40.6 × 40.6 cm (17 × 16 × 16 in.); Gift of the David Teiger Trust; 2016-36-4-a,b