Wainwright Tomb

In 1892 St. Louis businessman Ellis Wainwright commissioned Louis Sullivan to design a family mausoleum in historic Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. The groundbreaking architectural masterpiece Wainwright Building was nearing completion in downtown St. Louis when Wainwright's young wife died suddenly. It's design, a domed cube, simply decorated with Sullivan's signature vegetal patterns, was a marked departure from those of its elaborate revivalist neighbors.

The Steedman Collection owns the 18 original tracings for the tomb. They are executed primarily in black ink, with red ink details and graphite notations. They vary in size, but average about 22 by 27 inches. The entire set was generously donated in 1977 by its previous owner, St. Louis architect Albert C. Maack.