Drawing practices: The art and craft of architectural representation

The present work focuses on the standard of architectural working drawings in America as it was established around the turn of the twentieth century. The main thesis of my dissertation argues that, along with the new imperatives of the second Industrial Revolution, the standard was also driven by the ideology of the emerging architectural profession. While drawing from a variety of theoretical sources, the analysis is largely based on the notions of ideology and utopia as they are developed by French philosopher Paul Ricoeur. According to this theory, ideology supports well positioned social groups in their struggle for power and authority. However, ideology also gives meaning to agents' everyday actions and inspires them in their quest for excellence.; The argument is based on the analysis of drawings produced by a variety of architects and architectural firms, including those of Sullivan and Adler; McKim, Mead and White; Greene and Greene; and Bernard Maybeck. This analysis shows that, despite the diversity of styles, building types, and construction methods that were employed in their projects, the working drawings of these architects shared common features. These features reflect ideological roles that working drawings played in the process of the professionalization of American architectural practice.; The dissertation applies theory to an aspect of architectural practice that has generally been considered as instrumental and culturally neutral. It offers a novel perspective of the history of the profession and various roles that representation has played in this history. It also offers the possibility to critically address contemporary standards of working drawings. Finally, it brings attention to elegant pieces of architectural draftsmanship that have not received adequate attention from architectural historians and theorists.