Gustav Stickley
Friday, February 27th, 2009
Gustav Stickley was born in Osceola, Wisconsin. His father was a stone mason. At the age of 18 (1876) Gustav went to work at his uncle’s furniture factory in Brandt, PA. He found his passion for wood working. In 1883, Stickley and his two brothers started Stickley Brothers & Company in Binghamton, NY. Then (horror) he partnered with Elgin Simonds and started Stickley and Simonds in 1893. The new company catered to Victorian taste for embellishments and elaborate designs.
At the time John Ruskin started a movement calling for a return to medieval craft guilds and away from mass produced factory furniture. By the 1890’s Arts and Crafts societies were forming all over America and England. They rejected ornate mass produced goods, favoring simple, quality hand-made.
In 1898 the Gustave Stickley Company was formed. In the summer of 1900 Gustave introduced his Craftsman furniture at the Grand Rapids Furniture Exposition. His motto became his logo: “Als ik kan” meaning “If I can” is displayed in a joiners compass. By 1901, Stickley’s furniture designs were nearly all of the final form that we love - the strong, structural quality that collectors search for today.
In October 1901, Stickey published the first copy of “The Craftsman” magazine. He used the publication to advertise his furniture and craftsman ideals.
Craftsman Ideals:
- Honesty of Materials
- Solidity of Construction
- Utility
- Adaptation to place
- Aesthetic effect
- Proportion
- Color
By 1902, Stickley employed 200 workers in his factory. He expanded. He had offices in Manhattan, Syracuse and 650 acres in rural New Jersey known as Craftsman Farms. Then things went south. The huge overhead costs, coupled with waning demand caused Stickley to go bankrupt in 1915. The last copy of “The Craftsman” was published in December 1916.
When Stickley died in 1942, his furniture could be found for nickles at garage sales. But he has not been forgotten. His prediction that “Oak furniture that shows plainy what it is, and in which the design and construction harmonize with the wood will in time become valuable and be treasured as heirlooms in this country,” rings true. If you find a piece of Stickley furniture, you will instantly recognize that you are viewing a treasure. I have an original Stickley sofa that I found at garage sale. It was upholstered (thumb tacked) with a grummy white sheet emblazoned with blue anchors. But the magnificence of the wood was clear, even in the sad condition it had fallen into. Don’t worry - the sofa has now been fully restored and the sheet burned.
For those who love antiques, Stickley’s need for quality and simplicity is easy to understand. The difference between a Stickley Morris Chair and and American Furniture Warehouse chair are easy to see. After 5 years of ownership, the words “built to last” only apply to craftsman furniture. There’s nothing like a piece of fine hand crafted furniture made from solid quarter-sawn oak.
