The Wright Brothers' family dynamics

November 22, 2006 8:49 AM

Does anyone know any details about the Wright Brothers' actual brotherly relationship? I'm looking for books, anecdotes, articles, or documentaries you've read/seen that actually address this aspect of the great American story, their personalities, family dynamics, etc.

I just read the 1975 bio "One Day at Kitty Hawk," which was great but basically glossed over most of the "emotional" aspects of the brothers, the things that made them human and relate-able. I want to know more about them beyond the dry historical facts, but there are so many books on the airplane's invention to dig through that I was hoping someone in the metafilter community could point me in the right direction.

All I know is that Wilbur Wright was the more driven, methodical and secretive of the two, whereas Orville was a bit of a dandy and more of a risk-taker. More information on their personalities (and overall relationship) even if it's just anecdotal, would be very interesting for me! Thanks in advance for your help in finding sources to answer this question.

posted by np312 to society & culture (5 comments total)

The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI has a great deal of Wright memorabilia and the curators there are very knowledgeable about the brothers' relationship. Definitely worth a visit. As I recall from my tour there, both their father and their sister worked to support the brothers so they could focus on invention. They were, as you mention, very different in temperament, and this is part of what drove their innovation. I wish I had more specific resources to point you to, but I'm sure someone else will chime in.
posted by judith at 9:33 AM on November 22, 2006

I've visited the Wright Bros Monument in Kill Devil Hills many times over the years but recall few details of their "brotherly relationship" in any of the displays.
posted by Rash at 10:03 AM on November 22, 2006

This is kind of relevant. Okay, not really.

You might be able to glean something from Orville Wright's 1902 - 1903 diaries.
posted by sephira at 10:55 AM on November 22, 2006

The Oberlin Alumni Magazine published a very interesting article about Kathering Wright and her relationship to her brothers. You might be able to contact the author directly for references.
posted by plinth at 11:02 AM on November 22, 2006

I read a really good biography of the Wright brothers by Ian Mackersey, it went into detail about their childhoods, their work in the bicycle shop and other family stuff. From memory, it dealt with their relationship as brothers, and not just business partners.
posted by cholly at 4:56 PM on November 22, 2006