L. and J.G. Stickley & their Furniture.
Leopold and J. George Stickley were brothers of cabinetmaker Gustav Stickley, one of the foremost American craftsmen working in the Arts & Crafts style. They established a furniture shop in Fayetteville, New York, in 1902 near Gustav’s factory and began marketing their “Hand Craft” furniture two years later. The two brothers produced furniture into the 1920′s that closely followed Gustav’s designs and philosophy. This style was known as “Mission” furniture by their contemporaries because of the severity of its lines and materials (usually plain oak boards).
The Arts & Crafts movement originated in England during the third quarter of the 19th century, primarily though the writings and work of designer William Morris and critic and philosopher John Ruskin. Rooted in the socialist theories of the times, the Arts and Crafts sought to improve the lot of the common man by introducing elements of “good” design and handcrafting to various manufacturing processes. In William Morris’s words, it was to be an “art of the people, by the people and for the people”. This stylistic movement and artistic work went into decline during World War I and was generally extinguished during the 1920′s.
By Paul H. Lauer, New England p4A.com representative