Gustav Stickley Stool, circa 1905
View Similar Items
Gustav Stickley Stool, circa 1905
About the Item
- Creator:Gustav Stickley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)Width: 16.38 in (41.61 cm)Depth: 20.38 in (51.77 cm)
- Style:Arts and Crafts (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1905
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chapel Hill, NC
- Reference Number:Seller: WC-1366z1stDibs: LU6458234613802
Gustav Stickley
Gustav Stickley was one of the principal figures in the American Arts and Crafts movement and the creator of the Craftsman style. As a furniture designer and publisher of the magazine The Craftsman, he adopted many of the ideals of the British design reform movement and popularized both its philosophy and its aesthetics in the United States.
Born in Wisconsin, Stickley moved with his family to Pennsylvania when he was a teenager and began working in his uncle’s chair factory in the town of Brandt. There, he learned the techniques of late-19th-century furniture making at a time when the vogue was for Victorian revival furniture, which was characterized by extensive ornamentation.
In 1883, Stickley established a furniture company called Stickley Brothers with two of his brothers, Albert and Charles (Gustav’s other siblings, Leopold and John George, would later form L & J.G. Stickley Inc.). When Stickley Brothers foundered, he partnered five years later with salesman Elgin Simonds to form a new firm, Stickley & Simonds, which produced traditional furniture that appealed to the burgeoning American middle class. The success of this venture enabled Stickley to travel to Europe, where he discovered the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris, the two preeminent thinkers of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Stickley also traveled to France, where the Art Nouveau movement impressed him with its imaginative designs and skilled craftsmanship.
Stickley parted ways with Simonds at the turn of the 20th century and decided to focus his creative energies on producing furniture in what became known as the Craftsman style, incorporating some of the elements of the designs and movements he had encountered in Europe.
The pieces Stickley created, which he stamped with the logo of a joiner’s compass, were rectilinear, largely free of ornament, made of oak, and built in such a way that the nature of their construction was plainly visible — all reflections of the tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement. While some people referred to Stickley’s furniture as Mission furniture — a term that references the furnishings of the Spanish missions in California — Gustav commonly called his work “Craftsman” owing to the inspiration he found in the British Arts and Crafts movement.
Stickley benches and rocking chairs were popular, and his leather-upholstered armchairs combine practicality, comfort and an understated silhouette. He also made side tables — an unusual example designed during the early 20th century was adorned with an octagonal Grueby Pottery tile in a cool shade of green, which made it an ideal piece for an art pottery collector.
In 1901, Stickley launched The Craftsman magazine, which contained articles on all manner of domestic topics, from gardening and cooking to art and design, as well as poetry and fiction. In addition to popularizing Stickely’s own designs, the magazine acquainted Americans with the Arts and Crafts style in all its forms through its graphic design and the bungalows, art pottery, and hammered-copper lamps pictured in its pages. It also encouraged readers to practice craft themselves, promoting an early form of the do-it-yourself ethos.
In 1904, Stickley founded the Craftsman Home Builders' Club, which allowed subscribers to his magazine to order architectural plans for the Arts and Crafts–style structures that were featured in its pages; eventually, this became one of its most popular features.
An ill-timed attempt to set up a New York showroom led to Stickley’s filing for bankruptcy in 1915. The outbreak of World War I, waning interest in the Arts and Crafts style, and increased competition all conspired to thwart Stickley's efforts. The Craftsman ceased publication a year later. When he died, in 1942, Arts and Crafts had been replaced by modernism as the favored aesthetic. It enjoyed a resurgence, however, in the 1970s, and Stickley is now regarded as one of the most important American designers in the first half of the 20th century.
Find antique Gustav Stickley tables, seating and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Woven Rattan Ottoman, circa 1980sLocated in Chapel Hill, NCCentury woven rattan ottoman or taboret table, Hong Kong, circa 1980s. Mahogany secondary wood. 18.5" sq. x 9.25" h.Category
Vintage 1980s Hong Kong Footstools
MaterialsRattan, Wood
- Circa 1880 Queen Anne Style Footstool or Small Bench, EnglishLocated in Chapel Hill, NCCirca 1880 Queen Anne style footstool or small bench, English. Walnut. Very well executed cabriole legs with c-scroll moldings & pad feet. Inset, removable walnut seat with loose nee...Category
Antique Late 19th Century British Queen Anne Footstools
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- Circa 1905 Art Nouveau BoxLocated in Chapel Hill, NCCirca 1905 Art Nouveau glazed pottery covered box, attributed to Henri Bergé. The mark Rambervillers is found on a documented planter. The modeller is clearly identical, as is the la...Category
Antique Early 1900s Art Nouveau Decorative Boxes
MaterialsPottery
- circa 1810 English Regency Mahogany Revolving Piano StoolLocated in Chapel Hill, NCA handsome circa 1810 English Regency revolving, adjustable height piano stool of mahogany & mahogany veneered apron with oak secondary wood. Raised on saber legs. Triform stretcher ...Category
Antique 1810s English Regency Stools
MaterialsWood
$480 Sale Price20% Off - Faux Revolving Bookcase Biscuit Tin Box by Huntley & Palmers, 1905, EnglishBy Huntley & PalmersLocated in Chapel Hill, NCFaux revolving bookcase biscuit tin box by Huntley & Palmers, 1905, English. In the form of a revolving bookcase filled with classic novels, notice the detail - end covers show on si...Category
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsTin
- Faux Revolving Bookcase Biscuit Tin Box by Huntley & Palmers, 1905, EnglishBy Huntley & PalmersLocated in Chapel Hill, NCFaux revolving bookcase biscuit tin box by Huntley & Palmers, 1905, English. In the form of a revolving bookcase filled with classic novels, notice the detail - end covers show on si...Category
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsTin
- Arts and Crafts Settee Bench signed Gustav Stickley c 1905 -1912By Gustav StickleyLocated in New York, NYExceptional, rare signed Mission, Arts and Crafts, Gustav Stickley settee, bench in original condition. The bench features a slatted back, and drop in, inner spring cushion ( needs reupholstery ). The wood frame is in original finish, and is fully and correctly marked with an early red clamp mark, please see images. We have had many pieces of Stickley furniture, this is the first time we have seen this rare form. Similar to Model 219...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Settees
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Sewing Rocking Chair, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Mission oak Arts & Crafts sewing rocker By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with tan leather seat. Measures: 17.25"W x 24.75"D x 31.25"H. Seat h...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Sewing Rocking Chair, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Mission oak Arts & Crafts sewing rocker By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with upholstered seat. Measures: 17"W x 24.25"D x 34"H. Seat height:...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Sewing Rocking Chair, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Mission oak Arts & Crafts sewing rocker By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Solid quartersawn oak, with black leather seat. Measures: 18"W x 29"D x 33.5"H. Seat height:...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- American Arts & Crafts Oak Armchair Attributed to Gustav StickleyBy Gustav StickleyLocated in Petworth, GBAmerican Arts & Crafts oak over-sized armchair Through tenon detailing and slatted back Currently upholstered in maroon leather Attributed to Gustav Stickley Circa 1900 Height 103cm ...Category
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Oak
- Antique Arts & Crafts Stickley Quarter Sawn Oak Footstool c1910By Stickley BrothersLocated in Big Flats, NYAn antique Arts and Crafts footstool attributed to Stickley offers upholstered seat on quarter sawn frame and raised on flared legs, unsigned, c1910 Measures - 10"h x 14.5"w x 16.6"...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Footstools
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
$600 Sale Price20% Off