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prolific, Wisconsin born American architect in avant-garde style he
also worked in stained glass, furniture and textiles.  Began his working life in the offices of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan in Chicago and a career spanning seven decades and two centuries saw him receive more than a thousand commissions. He executed over half of them, most of which still stand today. Wright believed “the horizontal line was the line of domesticity” and completely revolutionised the single-family home by destroying “the box” and opening up the house to embrace nature in what he called his “organic architecture”. The genius of the Prairie school of architecture, his work was strongly influenced by the economy and grace of Japanese art and design and today still continues to exert enormous influence worldwide. His later iconic work on buildings such as Fallingwater in Pennsylvania (1935-9) and later the Guggenheim Museum in New York showed a more Modernist style. Regarded as the father of American architecture, his place as a master of the Arts and Crafts style adapted to an American landscape have assured him an esteemed place in history. |
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  ustav
Stickley created the first truly American furniture known throughout
the world as Craftsman after a trip to England where he was profoundly
influenced by people like John Ruskin and William Morris and their work
with the Arts and Crafts movement. Returning home the hard working and
dedicated Stickley achieved great success in the early 1900’s
as the leader of the Arts and Crafts movement in America. First trained
as a stone mason, he dreamt of building of building fine tables and
chairs. He learned furniture making at his uncle’s chair factory
in Lanesbro. He founded the Craftsman Workshops in 1904 where the furniture
was largely made from native American Oak. It was of a sturdy plain design in contrast to the highly decorated late Victorian pieces. Joinery was exposed and upholstery was carried out in canvas and leather (natural materials). It became known as Mission Style. Stickley’s designs were exhibited at the prestigious Grand Rapids and Pan American furniture expositions. In 1901 Stickley founded the periodical known as The Craftsman that began expounding the philosophy of the English Arts and Crafts movement. Financial problems forced Stickley to stop publication of the Craftsman in 1916. He also was responsible along with Harvey Ellis for the production of two classic American publications Craftsman Homes (1909) and More Craftsman Homes. (1912). These books illustrated the homes interiors, as well as their exteriors, and were accompanied with a floor plan. They are considered the benchmark today for the restoration of Craftsman Homes which now have protected status in America. Stickley’s popularity had waned by the end of the Great War however the family name in furniture was carried on often in competition with one another by Leopold, John George, Albert and Charles Stickley to forge an indelible impression on the American domestic dwelling through the twentieth century. While the company still operates under the trading name L & J.G.Stickley and enjoys great success today, it is no longer in family hands. |
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 merican
architect and immensely talented furniture designer. He was a founding member of one of the earliest Arts and Crafts societies in the USA. In 1903 he joined Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Workshops and in less than a year he made an indelible impression on the American Arts and Crafts movement. He was also a very fine illustrator, however the very private nature of the man has made it difficult for researchers to document his life and work with any certainty. Ellis typified what was known at the time as a “journeymen draftsmen.” These were men who moved from city to city, and firm to firm. Ellis is known to have worked in Rochester, Utica, and in the Midwest. Much of his work was credited to supervising architects on projects he was associated with, although the designs were his. Ellis seemed uninterested in promoting his own name. In addition personal problems, including alcoholism, dogged him throughout his life. Today his work is celebrated not only in America but throughout the world. |
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  ne
of the most notable and innovative glassmakers. As well as the famous
lamps that bear his name his work included glassware and mosaics as
well as stained glass windows. As a young boy he grew up surrounded by wonderful artefacts from all over the world in the family’s Broadway store. This instilled in the young man both a sense of the aesthetic, and a good grounding in solid business practise from his father, Louis Tiffany. While still young he travelled the world painting. During these travels he was inspired by ancient forms of “Iridescent” looking glass and set about creating his own glass on returning home. He patented many such types of glass with evocative sounding names such as “Lava.” His early work included decorative glassware, wall sized mosaics and church windows. From these beginnings emerged the legendary Tiffany Lamps, and it has been suggested this may have come about as a way of utilising all the off-cuts and shapes left over from his window commissions. His glass was unique as instead of applying decoration or etching painted details to the surface, he perfected a method of coloured mottles and streaks deep into the glass as it was made. Although the company still survives today, his glass-making concern was wound up prior to his death. His work was superseded by the Art Deco period and it must have been of concern to him in later life as he looked at the brash bold geometric lines of the new style replacing his fluid, organic craftsmanship. Like many phases and styles through history his work may not have been fully appreciated during it’s time with many examples being either dumped or consigned to storage. A far cry from today when original examples, on the rare occasions they become available, can fetch a million American dollars in salerooms! |
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in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1856, Elbert Hubbard was
the son of a country doctor who never made more that $500 per year.
The family had settled in Buffalo as early as 1834 but moved west during
the cholera epidemic of that year.A born salesman, Hubbard's first full-time job was selling soap door-to-door. Later he joined the J.D Larkin Company in Buffalo, one of the most successful mail order houses in the country. It was Hubbard who introduced premium merchandise as an added inducement to buy his company’s products. He also instituted the club plan which made every customer a potential salesman. Secretly Hubbard had written a novel and the prospect of a literary career fascinated him. In 1893 he sold his interest in the Larkin Company for $75,000 and retired at the age of thirty-six. Hubbard began his intellectual quest by enrolling at Harvard, but he resigned after being told that he lacked the basic requirements to achieve a degree in letters. Hubbard then embarked on a lengthy trip to the Continent. His purpose was to meet and talk with the leading personalities of his day, gathering material for his first continuous literary effort ñ "Little Journeys." While abroad he met the English Socialist William Morris 
whose printing
and publishing firm Kelmscott convinced Hubbard of
the feasibility of the Roycroft
idea.And so with his robust, rugged individualism. Hubbard established the Roycroft Printing Shop at his home in East Aurora. He gathered about him bookbinders from the Old World, young people and fallen women ñ the finest handmade books of the 19th Century, books that were purchased by Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt and Queen Victoria. The Roycrofters prospered and by 1905 were operating their own factory, blacksmith shop, farms, bank and later an inn which still stands today. The completely self-sufficient community eventually grew to five hundred people under Hubbard's forceful but expert guidance. Actually, the inn was built as a matter of necessity. Thousands came from all over the world to see and praise an idea which had become a reality. From 1905 to 1915, Elbert Hubbard was the most sought after lecturer in the United States. His writings were in great demand, and the Hearst Newspapers paid handsomely for his services as a correspondent. The outbreak of World War I provided a wealth of material for "Little Journeys," his biographical sketches of famous people which he had continued to publish. Aglow with a reporter's enthusiasm he set sail for England, and he hoped, an eventual interview with Kaiser Wilhelm. But one of the Kaiser's instruments of war stilled the voice of Elbert Hubbard forever. The sage of East Aurora died abroad the Lusitania, sunk by a German submarine in April 1915 The Community's leadership then fell to Elbert's son, Bert. Though Bert took the Roycrofters to wider sales distribution, changing American tastes led to slowly declining sales figures. Finally, in 1938 the Roycrofters closed shop. Today, items that were produced by the Roycrofters are highly sought after by collectors. In addition to the collectabilty of the items, examples of Roycroft book-binding, metal-smithing, and furniture-making are sought simply because of their inherent beauty and craftsmanship. |
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  harles
P. Limbert started making "Dutch Arts and Crafts"
style furniture and lighting at his Grand Rapids factory
in 1902. He always used the phrase "Arts and Crafts," and
never the word "mission" to describe his furniture. He was
a student of European furniture designs, acknowledging the influence
of the German and Austrian Secessionists on his work. British (particularly
Charles Rennie MacKintosh), Japanese, and American Prairie School influences
are also evident in Limbert forms. Limbert visited Europe on more than
one occasion, and studied examples of Dutch peasant furniture. Limbert claimed that the original Spanish Mission Style was derived from Dutch furniture designs. He employed a designer of Austrian background, named Wm. Gohlke. Paul Horti, famous for Shop of the Crafters designs, also designed some furniture for Limbert. Of all American Arts and Crafts furniture makers, Limbert was perhaps the best known for his use of decorative cutouts, including squares, spades, hearts, etc. While Arts and Crafts enthusiasts may not find all Limbert designs aesthetically pleasing, the good designs are very good. He emphasized high quality in materials and joinery techniques, but his line was diverse enough to include outdoor furniture in the Arts and Crafts style. Like Gustav Stickley, Limbert also produced a short-lived line of inlayed furniture, and like Stickley's the line was not a commercial success. That the Charles P. Limbert Company stayed in business during and after WWI is a tribute to the appeal and success of its products with consumers. Limbert's furniture was also chosen to outfit the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park in 1906. Charles P. Limbert was the son of a furniture dealer. He first joined the furniture industry as a salesman, and in that capacity he was highly regarded. In 1894 he started a Grand Rapids, Michigan workshop making chairs, all the while continuing to act as a sales agent for other furniture makers. He is recognized for having popularized the rustic furniture of Old Hickory of Martinsville, Indiana. He opened a factory in Holland, Michigan in 1906 where he produced furniture until 1922, when ill health prompted him to sell off his interest in the company. Limbert said that he wanted a more healthy and productive location for his workers. The Holland factory was a scenic site with indoor and outdoor recreational facilities for the workforce. It was also accessible by interurban trolley line from Grand Rapids. Limbert's furniture
has justly
seen a reawakening of interest in the current Arts and Crafts Revival. |
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 he
Tobey Furniture Company of Chicago, Illinois was founded in 1856 by
Charles Tobey only about a year after he left Boston for the Windy City
to sell furniture for a Boston company that would soon go bankrupt.
After selling off the Boston firm's merchandise, Charles and brother
Frank Tobey, opened up shop. The fledgling enterprise survived the Panic of 1857 and the three years of depression that ensued by buying out the stock of failing furniture stores.The company continued to grow in the 1860s, doing quite well in the economic upswing that took place at the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1865, the Tobey brothers joined forces with F. Porter Thayer. By 1868, the Thayer and Tobey partnership proved so successful that a new store was opened on Chicago's fashionable State Street. In part because of Charles Tobey's excellent salesmanship and persistence, Thayer and Tobey gained success filling large contracts for many of Chicago's newest hotels. They outfitted all of the Grand Pacific Hotel, as well as Sherman House and Tremont House. In addition, they produced furniture for some rooms in the Gardner and Palmer House In 1875, the Tobey brothers bought out Thayer's, interest and continued under the name Tobey Furniture Company In addition to the mission furniture the company would eventually become known for in the Arts and Crafts movement, Tobey Furniture Company also produced Louis XIV, XV, and XVI -style reproductions and, beginning in 1901, Art Nouveau furniture. The Art Nouveau designs "echoed the exuberant curvilinear lines and organic forms embodied in the distinctive (Art Nouveau) furniture then being shown in France and Belgium" By the mid 1920s, the company was producing French Art Moderne pieces. It also manufactured and sold tall case clocks. In addition to its own lines, Tobey Furniture sold furniture from over 200 manufacturers from the U.S. and around the world. Apparently able to survive the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and both World Wars, but not the Baby Boom and rock and roll, Tobey Furniture ceased operations in 1954. Tobey's Mission Furniture.
obey was among the first U.S. retailers to "aggressively market
factory-made Arts and Crafts furniture using modern advertising techniques
and brand name recognition." Beginning in 1898, the company bought
advertising in newspapers and women's' magazines. Advertisements placed
emphasis on Tobey Hand-Made Furniture's simple lines, quality wood,
and "careful workmanship." They pointed out that "no
veneers, no machine carving or stamped ornaments" were used in
its construction. Targeting the American middle class, Tobey would become
Chicago's foremost retailer of Arts and Crafts furniture.Two years later, in the spring of 1900, Tobey introduced a collection of mission furniture, designed by George Clingman, was introduced to the public. It was advertised as "an unconventional style for unconventional people, admirable suited to rest and sunshine" to a nation ready to take on the new century. The Clingman collection set the stage for the New Furniture collection, designed by Gustav Stickley, that Tobey debuted in October 1900. The New Furniture was a collection of about 75 oak pieces that included tables, chairs, settees, tabourettes, and desks that came in three stains (Tyrolean green, gun metal gray, and grayish brown "Weathered Oak"), all with a dull wax finish. Some of the chairs had rush seats. Others had cushions of loose leather or Spanish leather, held in place with big oxidized nails. Some of the collection were clearly inspired by contemporary Scottish and English furniture designers; others were obviously inspired by pieces found in California's missions Moderately priced, its intended audience was "practical modern-thinking consumers in the new century" Stickley's intent was to come up with original designs that did not emulate traditional and historical designs. The designs executed had a distinct lack of curves and ornamentation. Stickley showed the same collection in his own company's catalogue Unhappy with the relationship, in part because of a "reluctance to be relegated to the role of anonymous supplier," Stickley would break ties with Tobey Furniture at the end of 1900. In 1901, Tobey introduced its own line of New Furniture. Probably designed by Clingman, the New Furniture in Weathered Oak collection consisted of chairs, settees, book cases, tall case clocks, and humidors. Woods used in the collection were oak, ash, and mahogany. Manufactured in the Tobey factory, pieces were stained in shades evocative of forests and fields. With the exception of some book cases and cabinets, the New Furniture in Weathered Oak line was free of ornamentation. Also new in 1901 was the Tobey Chair. Patented by Clingman (who was chief buyer and manager as well as designer, the piece was a streamlined version of the adjustable Morris chair. It had a sliding seat with an adjustable back. In the summer of 1902, Tobey introduced the Russmore line. The Russmore line was an affordable line of "rectilinear furniture" designed to meet the demand for fashionable yet durable furniture. The line was dark brown in color and had a deep sheen instead of a dull wax finish . Despite manufacturing a variety of styles, the Tobey Furniture seems to be best remembered for its contribution to the Arts and Crafts style Janna Barron |
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Painter/Woodcarver Maybeck developed an eclectic vocabulary of forms that borrowed from the regional forms and construction of California. Although his designs show a relationship between decoration and structure, Maybeck accepted and used a variety of styles. He resolved each design with the belief that every architectural problem required an original solution. During his lifetime he was regarded even by his fellow architects as something of a crank and a dreamer. In truth, he seems to have enjoyed playing the part of the carefree bohemian. However his design ideas-for example, were far from the realm of the crank. The use of native wood, hand-crafted details, large windows for natural light, a colour sense born of his skill as a painter, and a fine sense of integrated landscape, were what made up what he termed “earth-coloured” houses that seemed to rise and grow naturally from the ground. This design philosophy was the catalyst for the formation of the Bay Area Arts and Crafts movement. Maybeck was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects in 1951. He died in Berkeley, California in 1957 |
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Galleries
and supporting links can be viewed by pressing on the
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he
brothers Greene- Charles Sumner; (1868-1957) and Henry Mather; (1870-1954)
were born in Brighton, Ohio. Part of their childhood was spent living
on their mother's family farm in West Virginia while their father Thomas,
studied medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. During those early years in
West Virginia, the brothers developed a love of nature that would be
forever reflected in their art and architecture. 
In 1893, their parents, who had moved to the “little country town”
of Pasadena, requested that their sons move out to California and join
them. The brothers agreed to do so, and this trip across country proved
to be a significant one for them for while passing through Chicago,
they took time out and visited the World’s Columbian Exhibition.
It was here then for the first time they saw examples of Japanese architecture
that was to instill instant admiration of the style, and would become
such a strong influence in their later designs. 
aybeck
was born in New York’s Greenwich Village, the son of an immigrant
woodcarver, he was sent to Paris in 1881 at the age of nineteen by his
father to study furniture design, but he soon abandoned this to enroll
in the city’s famed architectural training ground, the Ecole des
Beaux Arts. During his studies he embraced the theories of Viollet-le-duc
with their combined emphasis on medievalism and technological advancement.
He left Paris in 1886 and returned home where, after uneventful periods
in New York and Kansas City, he moved to San Francisco and joined the
firm of A. Page Brown. It was here in San Francisco’s Bay area,
where he has long been regarded as a hero, that most of his masterworks
were designed. By 1894 he had established a private practice in Berkeley.
He was an important mentor to a number of young architects, including
Julia Morgan. 