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Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

ARTS AND CRAFTS STYLE

Emerging in reaction to industrialization and mass production, the Arts and Crafts movement celebrated handcrafted design as a part of daily life. The history of Arts and Crafts furniture has roots in 1860s England with an emphasis on natural motifs and simple flourishes like mosaics and carvings. This work is characterized by plain construction that showcases the hand of the artisan.

The earliest American Arts and Crafts furniture dates back to the start of the 20th century. Designers working in this style in the United States initially looked to ideas put forth by The Craftsman, a magazine published by Wisconsin native Gustav Stickley, a furniture maker and founder of the Craftsman style. Stickley’s furniture was practical and largely free of ornament. His Craftsman style drew on French Art Nouveau as well as the work he encountered on his travels in England. There, the leading designers of the Arts and Crafts movement included William Morris, who revived historical techniques such as embroidery and printed fabrics in his furnishings, and Charles Voysey, whose minimal approach was in contrast to the ornamentation favored in the Victorian era.

American Arts and Crafts work would come to involve a range of influences unified by an elevation of traditional craftsmanship. The furniture was often built from sturdy woods like oak and mahogany while featuring details such as inlaid metal, tooled leather and ceramic tiles. The style in the United States was led by Stickley, whose clean-lined chairs and benches showcased the grain of the wood, and furniture maker Charles Rohlfs, who was informed by international influences like East Asian and French Art Nouveau design.

Hubs in America included several utopian communities such as Rose Valley in Pennsylvania and the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony in New York, where craftspeople made furniture that prioritized function over any decoration. Their work would influence designers and architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, who built some of the most elegant and iconic structures in the United States and likewise embraced a thoughtful use of materials in his furniture.

Find antique Arts and Crafts chairs, tables, cabinets and other authentic period furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: Arts and Crafts
Antique New Williams Arts & Crafts Leather Treadle Belt Sewing Machine Cum Table
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Under-appreciated but exceptionally made Antique New Williams Company treadle sewing machine with leather belt and working mechanism. Inside it ...
Category

Early 1900s Canadian Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Metal

Antique WWII Swiss Army 1945 MO-05 Military Bicycle Bike with Leather Frame Pack
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique WWII Swiss Army MO-05 Military Bicycle with Leather Frame Pack. Item featuredis being offered as pictured. Bicycle does seem to function nicely and the tires are holding air....
Category

1940s Vintage Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Metal

Chelsea Flower Show Interest - Gold Medal Prize for 1937 Made By Omar Ramsden
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1936 by Omar Ramsden, this wonderful, Sterling Silver Chalice, is in the Arts & Crafts taste, and features the original gilding and the cast and applied crest...
Category

1930s English Vintage Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Sterling Silver

Arts and Crafts Paper Roll Cutter, Shop Wrapping Paper Dispenser
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Arts and Crafts Paper Roll Cutter, Shop Wrapping Paper Dispenser An unusual and very useful item, it has a golden oak frame with clover leaf cut outs...
Category

19th Century Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Oak

Antique English Miniature Salesman Sample Bureau Desk
Located in Forney, TX
A handsome and scarce English Arts & Crafts period miniature oak bureau from the early 20th century. Exquisitely hand-crafted in England over a century ago, exceptionally executed, t...
Category

Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Brass

Irving J. Gill, Architect, California Architecture Hardcover Book, 2006
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Architect Irving J. Gill (1870-1936) is widely considered the first and preeminent California architect of the Modernist era. This book looks at the life and architectural achievements of Gill, with brilliant photography by Marvin Rand...
Category

Early 2000s American Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Paper

7 Bastoni Da Passeggio + Portabastoni, Anni 90
Located in Felino, IT
7 bastoni da passeggio + portabastoni, anni 90 7 bastoni da passeggio + portabastoni. impugnature in vari materiali, steli in vari legni. usati ma in ottimo...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Steel

Antique & Rare Hand Painted Plaster, Church Sculpture or Statue of Jesus Christ
Located in Lisse, NL
Entirely original, all hand-crafted antique Holy Heart sculpture of Christ on a zinc base. Over 3.5 feet tall. If finding an antique church sculpture of Ch...
Category

Early 20th Century Dutch Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Metal, Brass, Zinc

Unique and All Handcrafted Lifesize Vincent van Gogh Bronze Bust Sculpture
Located in Lisse, NL
Stunning and very rare (if not unique) bronze bust of one of Holland's finest painters ever. This life-size bronze head or bust sculpture of no other than Vincent van Gogh is special for several reasons and we are confident it will soon be enjoyed by a new private or institutional owner. First of all, we have never before seen or owned a bronze bust sculpture of this worldfamous Dutch painter. Secondly, when we searched the worldwide web we could not find another one like this anywhere in the world. Thirdly, and this is what makes this bronze extra special for us, this very rare (or possibly unique) sculpture was made in the van Gogh style...
Category

Late 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Bronze

Design for a Silver Church Chalice, Illustration Attributed to Amor Fenn
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Design for a Silver Church Chalice, Illustration attributed to Amor Fenn Design illustration for a Silver Chalice attributed to Amor Fenn, with notes...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Paper

Concert Grand Piano Alfred Waterhouse Arts &Crafts Aesthetic Movement Romanesque
By Alfred Waterhouse
Located in Ettlingen, DE
Art Cased Concert Grand by John Broadwood & Sons, Serial number 21658, Year 1882. Mahogany case by order of Sir Alfred Waterhouse (1830 - 1905) , a lea...
Category

19th Century English Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Iron

Frank Brangwyn, Armchair for the Canadian Pacific Liner 'SS Empress of Britain'
Located in London, GB
Frank Brangwyn. An important armchair. Brangwyn's last interior designs were for the Canadian Pacific Liner; 'The SS Empress of Britain', which was launched in 1931 by the Prince of Wales, later to be King Edward VIII who renounced his throne to marry Wallis Simpson in 1930. These armchairs were designed for the 1st class dining room; 'The Salle Jacque Cartier' (see last image) and they were made by H.H. Martyn and Co. Cheltenham. The 1st class dining room was described in the Bulletin of The Decorative Arts Society 1890-1940 as 'In the fully fledge modern restaurant and cinema style of the 1930s'. The Studio in a long article on the liner, discusses and illustrates Brangwyn's Salle Jacques Cartier: 'So architectural it is, so true proportion, so devoid of Extraneous ornament. In contrast to this austerity of line, hue and colour, his great wall paintings are rich in colour; composed in the bold, yet intricate pattern of figure, fruit and flowers that characterizes Mr Brangwyn's decorative works'. Tragically the liner was sunk in 1940 by a U-boat. Brangwyn also designed marquetry panels for the private dining rooms and they were executed by the Rowley Gallery, he also designed a frieze carved in wood for their gallery façade in 1936. The armchair has a central under bar below the seat which still has the original bolt and eye to secure the chain to and then to the floor, that would prevent all the chairs from sliding around in stormy weather. It is lacking ivorene numbered disc which would have sat in the very top of the head rail. In October 1940 the most famous of the Canadian Pacific Railway liners and flagship of the company's Atlantic Fleet, the Empress of Britain, was attacked and sunk. She was travelling to Glasgow from Suez via South Africa, where she was bombed near the north-west coast of Ireland by a German Focke Wulf Condor plane. When the Condor attacked the Empress of Britain the ship's crew couldn't shoot the plane down and soon the Empress was burning out of control and the Captain C.H. Sapsworth gave the order to abandon ship. 45 people died and the remaining survivors including women and children, were later rescued that day by the British destroyer HMS Echo and the Polish destroyer Burza and 3 British naval trawlers Paynter, Cape Agona and Drangey. The Empress still burning managed to stay afloat and the day after 2 Royal Navy tugs, Marauder and Thames tried to tow her into port with many escort ships around her but in spite of the protection she was given from the escort ships on October 28th, a German U-boat, U-32, managed to get by the escorts un-noticed and torpedoed the crippled Empress. She sank within ten minutes. The Empress of Britain was the largest Allied passenger liner to be sunk and weighing 42,348-tons she was the biggest merchant ship loss of the war. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had travelled aboard Empress of Britain after their 1939 Royal Tour...
Category

1930s English Vintage Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Oak

Two Metal Copper Plates Souvenir of Germany
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Two metal copper plates Souvenir of Germany. One of Cologne, Koln. Cologne is a major cultural centre for the Rhineland; it hosts more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture, The other one of Aachen, Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany, located near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, 61 km (38 mi) west of Cologne[8][9] in a former coal-mining area.[9] One of Germany's leading institutes of higher education in technology, Each one is numbered. Handcrafted and hand painted with cast famous German monuments of each city. Copper with blue sky and some green trees. Dimensions: Large oval plate: 9" W x 6.75" H x 0.50" D. Smaller oval plate: 7.5" W x 5" H x 0.50" D. The oval cast copper souvenir plates...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Copper

Americas Earliest Known Pyrography Pennsylvania Portrait, 1819
Located in South Burlington, VT
America’s earliest known dated pyrography portrait panel of a Pennsylvania couple. This unique work of art is hand-incised using a pyrographic (pyrography) wood burned technique and then hand stained/painted. A Pennsylvania Portrait...
Category

19th Century American Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Wood

Antique Bronze Train Sign - 923, 1910s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A very heavy and patinated bronze sign with raised numerals 923. The sign is handmade in 1-2 cm thick stock and weighs in around 8 kg. It comes from a P 923 train that was built by B...
Category

1910s Danish Vintage Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Bronze

Set of Eight Quartz Crystal Geode Geologic Specimen Bowls
Located in Ferndale, MI
Eight geological specimen bowls in varying sizes.
Category

15th Century and Earlier American Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Agate

Antique Arts & Crafts Shovel with Potentiometer Diagram, circa 1900
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very unusual and rare Arts & Crafts hand shovel of flat wide shape with a shaped oak handle, the main body in brass and attached with copper rivets. The body of the shovel has a di...
Category

Early 1900s Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Brass

Silver Medal Document of World Exhibition in Milan 1906 in Arts and Crafts Frame
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare and important, museum worthy document in a custom made Arts and Crafts frame. What we are offering here are actually two unique antiques into one. In the year 1906 the world exhibition...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Glass, Nutwood, Paper

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Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses Santa Barbara Hardcover Book 1st Ed.1996
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Paris 1937 -- Exposition Internationale
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Paris 1937 -- Exposition Internationale
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Free Shipping
H 24 in W 16 in D 0.1 in
Pair of Salterini Iron Peacock Salesman Sample Chairs
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Victorian Walnut Sewing Table
Located in Bradenton, FL
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Walnut

Victorian Walnut Sewing Table
Victorian Walnut Sewing Table
H 30 in W 23 in D 16 in
American 4 Drawer Antique Salesman's Sample Cherry Veneered Chest
Located in Morristown, NJ
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Unique Dutch Arts and Crafts Oak & Coromandel & Brass Chess Table w. Drawer 1910
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Previously Available Items
Royal Crown Derby George V Commemorative Coronation Pin Dish
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very fine and scarce Royal Crown Derby miniature porcelain pin dish made to commemorate the Coronation of King George V dated 1911. The d...
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1910s English Vintage Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

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Blanche Vulliamy Boer War Paul Kruger Grotesque Pottery Mug Dated 1900
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
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1937 George vi Coronation Chair from the Coronation of the Queen’s Father
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20th Century Spanish Black Wood Doctor’s Military Trunk, circa 1940
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French Violin Gand & Bernardel, Paris, 1869
Located in Sofia, BG
The firm Gand & Bernardel was founded in 1866 by three makers from two important houses of time. Charles Nicolas Eugene Gand and the Bernardel brothers, Gustave and Ernest came toget...
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1860s French Antique Arts and Crafts Historical Memorabilia

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French Violin Gand & Bernardel, Paris, 1869
French Violin Gand & Bernardel, Paris, 1869
H 7.88 in W 13.78 in D 7.88 in
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Located in Labrit, Landes
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Located in Sofia, BG
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Arts And Crafts historical memorabilia for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Arts and Crafts historical memorabilia for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage historical memorabilia created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include more furniture and collectibles, decorative objects, building and garden elements and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, wood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Arts and Crafts historical memorabilia made in a specific country, there are Europe, England, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original historical memorabilia, popular names associated with this style include Alfred Waterhouse, and Royal Crown Derby Porcelain. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for historical memorabilia differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $65 and tops out at $14,739 while the average work can sell for $1,520.

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