In 1900 Frank Lloyd Wright received a commission from manufacturer Ward Winfield Willits (1859–1950) to design a new house in Highland Park, Illinois. The house and its accompanying furnishings are recognized today as Wright’s first residential masterpiece in the Prairie School style. This chair was designed as part of the dining room suite and, like all of the house’s furnishings, it served as an integral part of the architectural scheme. The arrangement of the high-back dining room chairs around an imposing table created a setting that Wright deemed appropriate for formal dining.