Description
Directly influenced by William Morris' Arts and Crafts Movement in England, the Stickley family created what is now known and prized as Craftsman style furniture. This chastely beautiful and functional furniture was without superfluous or pretentious ornamentation, and it did not try to imitate any previous period style. Rather, it expressed the plain principles of honest construction and the sturdiness and beauty of the primary wood used, American white oak.The contemporary antique collector can now see hundreds of pieces of Craftsman furniture as they were actually offered for sale in two Stickley catalogs - Craftsman Furniture Made by Gustav Stickley (1910) and The Work of L. J.G. Stickley (n.d.). The 594 illustrations show numerous settles, rockers, armchairs, reclining chairs, bookcases, desks, and tables - tea, round, rectangular, library, lunch, dining, serving, sewing, toilet, dressing, folding, child's and others, even a billiard table and checkerboard table. A large number of other furniture pieces are also presented, including magazine cabinets, stools, plant stands, chests, sideboards, chests of drawers, beds, child's rocker and dresser, screens, Davenport bed, etc.In addition, there are pages devoted to products not automaticaly associated with the Stickleys or Craftsman furniture: metalwork - desk set, vase, chafing dish, cider set, candle stick, lighting fixtures, electric lamps, etc.; fabrics and needlework - table scarfs, portieres, pillows, curtains, table covers, etc.; willow furniture - 2 settles and 9 chairs; and rugs in four different patterns. All the illustrations are accompanied by identifying captions, including exact measurements and,often, prices or descriptive information.Termed by its creators as the first original expression of American thought in furniture, Craftsman furniture is an authentic American period style, as prices in antique stores and at auctions clearly attest. This book will delight collectors, antique hunters and restorers (it can be used for identification), historians of style, designers, and of course the growing category of catalog buffs.
