Baluster from the Carson, Pirie, Scott Company, Chicago

Fabricated by Louis Henry Sullivan American
 Manufacturer Winslow Brothers Company American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 701

In 1898, Sullivan received a commission from Schlesinger and Mayer for a large department store (the building was purchased by Carson Pirie Scott and Company in 1904). It was Sullivan’s most important independent commission. The store was built in two units. The first, small section, built in 1898–99, was nine stories high but only about sixty feet wide; the second section, built in 1903–4, was much larger overall. The facades of both sections bear identical decorative elements and fenestration. During this period, Sullivan employed the same sinuous ornamental elements as he had previously, but he organized them within a more rectilinear
geometric framework.

Baluster from the Carson, Pirie, Scott Company, Chicago, Fabricated by Louis Henry Sullivan (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1856–1924 Chicago, Illinois), Cast iron, American

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.