The fittings for the Frederick Robie House, (Chicago, Illinois, 1908 - 1910) stand within the most elegant expression of Wright's Prairie House.
These living room sconces, glass globes held within square frames of wood, form a procession along both sides of the living room. The globes are skillfully suspended in the frames by open, sculpted blocks, giving a sense of lightness-weightlessness- to the fixture.
The array of these sconces was one of Mr. Wright's early attempts to domesticate electric light, to tame the harsh glare and fully integrate lighting into the very structure of his buildings. There is fluid harmony in how these sconces are consecutively placed along the horizontal axis of the living and dining room areas of the Robie House. His repetition of form has become a standard device employed in modern architectural lighting. These light fixtures lend a dynamic presence, softly spoken.
