Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Sideboard, Circa 1900
About the Item
- Creator:Gustav Stickley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 49 in (124.46 cm)Width: 66 in (167.64 cm)Depth: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
- Style:Arts and Crafts (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1900
- Condition:Very good vintage condition. Normal minor wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:South Bend, IN
- Reference Number:
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: South Bend, IN
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Sideboard, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional antique Mission oak Arts & Crafts sideboard or credenza with plate rack By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Quarter sawn oak, with original hammered copper h...Category
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Sideboards
MaterialsCopper
- Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Writing Desk, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with original hammered coppe...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsCopper
- Signed Gustav Stickley Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Desk, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional antique Mission oak Arts & Crafts writing desk By Gustav Stickley (original label present) USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with original hamme...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsCopper
- Gustav Stickley Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Dining Chairs, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous set of six Mission or Arts & Crafts H-back dining chairs By Gustav Stickley (two chairs with original paper labels) USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with leather...Category
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsOak
- Signed Gustav Stickley Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Desk, Circa 1900By Gustav StickleyLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk By Gustav Stickley (original label present) USA, Early 20th Century Solid quarter sawn oak, with original copp...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsCopper
- 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
- Oak Arts & Crafts Credenza or Sideboard by Alexander J. Kropholler, 1900sBy Alexander J. KrophollerLocated in Amsterdam, NLMagnificent and rare Arts & Crafts credenza or sideboard. Design by Alexander J. Kropholler. Striking Dutch design from the 1920s. Solid oak with ori...Category
Antique Early 1900s Dutch Arts and Crafts Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Antique Arts & Crafts Stickley School Mission Oak Bookshelf Circa 1910By Gustav StickleyLocated in Big Flats, NYAn antique Arts and Crafts bookshelf in the manner of Stickley offers oak construction with four shelves and stylized slat sides, c1910 Meas...Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Shelves
MaterialsOak
- Philadelphia Arts & Crafts/Aesthetic Movement Sideboard by Frank FurnessBy Frank FurnessLocated in Miami, FLA Philadelphia Arts & Crafts / Aesthetic Movement sideboard in walnut with a facsimile of the original black ebonized finish, attributed to Frank Furness...Category
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Sideboards
MaterialsWalnut
- Antique Sideboard, English Oak, Arts & Crafts Cabinet, Liberty Taste, circa 1900Located in Hele, Devon, GBThis is an antique sideboard, English, oak, Arts & Crafts cabinet in the liberty taste dating to circa 1900. Of quality craftsmanship in well f...Category
Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Sideboards
MaterialsOak
- Antique Circa 1900 Victorian Era Tiger Oak Empire Style SideboardLocated in Charlotte, NCAn antique circa 1900 Victorian era sideboard in the Empire style, unbranded. Tiger oak with wood knobs, upper gallery with mirror, curved front legs and on metal casters. Features a...Category
Early 20th Century American Empire Sideboards
MaterialsMetal
- Arts and Crafts Oak SideboardLocated in Cheshire, GBLate 19th-century oak sideboard in the Arts & Crafts style, the large rectangular top with bowed front to the large freeze drawer with stylised handles. Above three cupboard doors, one door opening to a lead-lined cellarette drawer, the body of the piece is decorated with oversized floral copper...Category
Antique Late 19th Century British Sideboards
MaterialsOak