by Claire O'Neill

If you want to see a work of art by Edgar Miller, you basically have to go to Chicago. And even then, you won't find it in a museum. Finding his artwork entails a wild goose chase through private homes and public buildings. That's one reason the prodigious craftsman has been largely forgotten by the art world. But Chicagoans Richard Cahan and Michael Williams have made it easier; their new book, Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home, photographed by Alexander Vertikoff, is an introduction and road map to Miller's work.

  • The "garden of paradise room" at the R.W. Glasner studio showcases many of Miller's skills: tiling, stained glass and carving.
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    The "garden of paradise room" at the R.W. Glasner studio showcases many of Miller's skills: tiling, stained glass and carving.
    All photos by Alexander Vertikoff
  • Glasner, a wealthy client, gave Miller free reign over the design of his home, with design ranging from deco to English Tudor.
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    Glasner, a wealthy client, gave Miller free reign over the design of his home, with design ranging from deco to English Tudor.
  • Stained-glass windows in the R.W. Glasner studio.
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    Stained-glass windows in the R.W. Glasner studio.
  • Miller cut sheets of lead and placed them between two pieces of glass to create black-and-white silhouettes in the Trustees System Service Building.
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    Miller cut sheets of lead and placed them between two pieces of glass to create black-and-white silhouettes in the Trustees System Service Building.
  • Miller was commissioned to create a carved ceiling depicting the world's greatest scientists and inventors. He carved the names and images of 40 inventors, and completed the work just after the first atomic bomb explosions.
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    Miller was commissioned to create a carved ceiling depicting the world's greatest scientists and inventors. He carved the names and images of 40 inventors, and completed the work just after the first atomic bomb explosions.
  • Miller would create works — such as this ceiling — in his studio and install them later.
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    Miller would create works — such as this ceiling — in his studio and install them later.
  • Exterior of the Frank F. Fisher apartments. Miller worked on this building with the prominent architect Andrew Rebori.
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    Exterior of the Frank F. Fisher apartments. Miller worked on this building with the prominent architect Andrew Rebori.
  • Miller's sketches indicated his role in the design of these distinctive brick stairs.
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    Miller's sketches indicated his role in the design of these distinctive brick stairs.
  • Rebori's taste for simplicity shows in the streamlined design of the building. For him, details were secondary. But Miller's sensibility is still reflected throughout the house — a compromise between Rebori's modernist approach and Miller's craft aesthetic.
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    Rebori's taste for simplicity shows in the streamlined design of the building. For him, details were secondary. But Miller's sensibility is still reflected throughout the house — a compromise between Rebori's modernist approach and Miller's craft aesthetic.
  • Oak Ridge Abbey Mausoleum is the best showcase of Miller's stained-glass work, a commission that came early in his career.
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    Oak Ridge Abbey Mausoleum is the best showcase of Miller's stained-glass work, a commission that came early in his career.
  • This portrait of the wife of a Brazilian Consulate member demonstrates Miller's skill with the paintbrush.
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    This portrait of the wife of a Brazilian Consulate member demonstrates Miller's skill with the paintbrush.
  • A bathroom mosaic in the Sol Kogen studio.
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    A bathroom mosaic in the Sol Kogen studio.
  • Miller spent almost an entire year creating a black linoleum rendition of the Great Chicago Fire for The Standard Club.
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    Miller spent almost an entire year creating a black linoleum rendition of the Great Chicago Fire for The Standard Club.
  • A master woodcarver, Miller created this map of Clearwater, Fla.
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    A master woodcarver, Miller created this map of Clearwater, Fla.

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It's hard enough to be a master of one craft, but Miller was a painter, sculptor, woodcarver, printer, ironsmith ... the list goes on. "Born two weeks before 1900," the first chapter reads, "Miller produced art almost every day of every decade in the twentieth century."

Famously practical and resourceful, Miller was "green" before that term meant anything: He worked almost entirely with recycled materials, turning old bathroom tiles into roofing, or discarded glass into an ornate mosaic. His greatest masterpieces are found in four artistic studios that he built on Chicago's North Side. Every inch of each building has his personal, detailed touches.

Edgar Miller

Self-portrait by Edgar Miller

Miller's influences were manifold, which is another reason he's been overlooked: It's impossible to pinpoint his aesthetic. There are traces of deco and art nouveau, frontier folk art, medieval art and even fauvism — as well as a strong Native American influence. Miller's taste was about as diverse as his skills. In an age of IKEA furniture and prefab homes, his work now seems particularly extraordinary. What once might have been considered mere craft has now been elevated to fine art.

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