Mamah Borthwick

Mamah Bouton Borthwick
Mamah Borthwick, c. 1911
Born
Martha Bouton Borthwick

(1869-06-19)June 19, 1869
DiedAugust 15, 1914(1914-08-15) (aged 45)
Cause of deathMurder
Other namesMamah Borthwick
Spouse
(m. 1899; div. 1911)
PartnerFrank Lloyd Wright
Children2

Martha Bouton "Mamah" Borthwick (June 19, 1869 – August 15, 1914) was an American translator who had a romantic relationship with architect Frank Lloyd Wright, which ended when she was murdered.[1] She and Wright were instrumental in bringing the ideas and writings of Swedish feminist Ellen Key to American audiences. Wright built his famous settlement called Taliesin in Wisconsin for her, in part, to shield her from aggressive reporters and the negative public sentiment surrounding their non-married status. Both had left their spouses and children in 1909 in order to live together and were the subject of relentless public censure. In 1914, a disturbed member of the staff at Taliesin suddenly went on a murder-suicide spree at the estate killing Borthwick, two of her children and others. Wright was away at the time.

  1. ^ "The Terrible Crime at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin". December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.