The mission of the Stickley Brothers.

At the vanguard of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Gustav and Leopold Stickley acknowledged machinery's place in the production of hand-crafted furniture.

When one considers major developments of furniture design in the United States, Gustav Stickley's Craftsman furniture must come to mind among the earliest of modern designs.

At the turn of the 20th century, Americans were faced with a scene similar to our own on the cusp of the 21st century. Technology was growing at a rapid pace. The world seemed to grow smaller as communications and travel brought new ideas, art and philosophy into American homes - not unlike the spread of ideas on the Internet today.

Gustav Stickley's visit to Europe in 1898 reinforced methods of a new design philosophy that had begun to take place from the writings of Englishmen John Ruskin and William Morris. At 41 years of age, Stickley returned to Syracuse, NY, to begin a new manufacturing company based on the principles of the English Arts and Crafts Movement.

His early experimental designs gave way to Craftsman furniture. This severe, rectilinear furniture of solid, quartersawn white oak was quickly embraced by segments of society who viewed it as visionary and reformist. In 1909, Gustav said, "There was no thought of creating a new style, only a recognition of the fact that we should have in our homes something better suited to our needs and more expressive of our character as a people than imitations of traditional styles, and a conviction that the best way to get something better was to go directly back to plain principles of construction and apply them to the making of simple, strong, comfortable furniture."

The "Missions" that Followed

Soon, manufacturers across the country were creating their own versions of Gustav Stickley's "mission" furniture as it was commonly referred to by furniture retailers. Gustav's younger brothers also began producing their own lines of Arts and Crafts designs. Leopold and John George created their Handcraft line in Fayetteville, NY. Albert opened a factory in Grand Rapids, MI, producing Quaint furniture. Charles remained in Binghamton, NY, and made mission furniture bearing his name.

The furniture trade was good to all of them and each achieved success in his respective market. It was Gustav, however, who spearheaded the American Arts and Crafts movement by carrying the design philosophy beyond the realm of the workshop and into the living room with his magazine, The Craftsman. The magazine's masthead revealed its purpose with the statement that it was published, "...in the interest of better art, better work and a better, more reasonable way of living." The popularity of The Craftsman led to the Craftsman Homebuilder's Club and two books on Craftsman home designs.

By 1907 the American Arts and Crafts Movement had taken on a life of its own. In retrospect, Gustav Stickley wrote, "I did not realize it at the time that in making those few pieces of strong, simple furniture, I had started a new movement. Others saw it and prophesied far-reaching development. To me, it was only furniture; to them it was religion. And eventually it became religion to me as well."

Striking a Balance Between Machine and the Hand

Creating "simple" furniture meant a return to the basic elements of "structural" design. In pursuit of this effort, the Arts and Crafts Movement was not a denunciation of machinery, but rather of the elements of poor design. To understand the Arts and Crafts Movement is to understand the place of the machine in the creation of a hand-crafted product. Gustav said, "Given the real need for production and the fundamental desire for self expression, the machine can be put to all its legitimate purposes as an aid to and preparation for the work of the hand. The result can be quite as vital and satisfying as the best work of hand alone."

In this context, the ultimate goal of the craftsman was to find the right balance between the hand and the machine. It can be argued that the English Arts and Crafts Movement, which shunned the use of the machine, failed to reach the masses because its products were simply too costly for the average working-class household. Gustav Stickley was not going to repeat that mistake.

Structural elements such as keyed mortise-and-tenon joinery, tongue-and-groove joinery, pinned tenons and mitered-post construction served dual roles. They were a craftsman's proof of the honesty and integrity of his work and his adherence to true Arts and Crafts design philosophy. Secondly, in the absence of ornate carvings, festoons or mouldings, these construction elements contributed visual decoration.

Since most 20th century furniture factories were equipped with table saws, mortising machines, planers, drill presses, and the like, the mind-set of most furniture factory owners was to have their draftsmen design furniture to the limitation of the machines, thereby avoiding costly handwork. Stickley and a handful of others designed for the hand. They used machinery to get the process to the point where the hand could efficiently take over and complete the joinery.

With this design philosophy in mind, it is relatively easy to judge the quality of "mission" products that came out of various factories at the turn of the century. For example, manufacturers who did not use a pinned tenon, despite the fact that machinery was designed to accomplish the task with a minimum of handiwork, most certainly did not embrace the concept of the movement.

In place of expensive handwork, these factories would create missionesque items complete with cheap mouldings and inexpensive machine carvings intended to appeal to the masses. Regarding those persons who were not acquainted with the finer points of Arts and Crafts design aesthetic, Gustav Stickley lamented, "People who are ready for the beauty that grows out of honesty and simplicity will reach out for it. Those who are not will not be grateful to have it thrust upon them!"

Despite Gustav Stickley's tremendous success, changing tastes and the public's desire for more traditional designs during World War I led, in part, to his bankruptcy in 1915. Gus retired from the furniture business to the home of his granddaughter and died there in 1942. Given his strong and vital influence when the century began, it seems odd that at only 60 years of age, Gustav Stickley no longer contributed to the furniture industry.

Changing of the Guard

L. & J.G. Stickley's Handcraft line was a worthy rival for Gustav's Craftsman furniture. Leopold introduced cutting edge designs and innovative construction techniques that rivaled those of his elder brother. In 1918, Leopold and John George acquired Gustav's factory. They adjusted to changing market trends and produced a successful line of American Colonial designs called The Cherry Valley Collection.

A year before his death in 1957, Leopold Stickley received a silver platter commemorating his being named Revered Dean of cabinetmakers by fine magazines across the country such as Fortune, The New Yorker and National Geographic. In 1974, L. & J.G. Stickley Furniture Co. was sold by Mrs. Louise Stickley to the current owners, Alfred and Aminy Audi. Alfred's father, E.J. Audi, was one of Leopold Stickley's closest friends and also very successful in the furniture industry.

After successfully re-issuing many Cherry Valley pieces in the late 1970s and 80s, the Audis turned their attention to the company's historic past. In 1989, they re-issued 33 of the most significant Arts and Crafts patterns of Gustav and L. & J.G. Stickley furniture. True to the construction and design integrity of the original pieces, the collection has grown to over 200 designs and has taken its place in American furniture history.

Indeed, the current Stickley Mission Oak Collection surpasses the quality of the original craftsmanship by featuring additional innovative construction techniques pioneered by Leopold Stickley, such as the dovetail cross-rail and side-hung, center-guided drawers. These features also provide an irreversible construction variation from the originals, thus securing the value of earlier models for collectors. Also notable is the fact that for the first time in the history of American furniture manufacturing, designs have been revived by the same company, 80 years after their original introduction.

Gustav Stickley's words, which rang hollow only a few decades ago, now seem to have taken on a new meaning. "A movement that has grown as this one has, must keep on growing. People need it; they wouldn't let me stop even if I wanted to."

Editor's note: Mike Danial had worked at Stickley for nearly 20 years when he and his wife, Amy (and children Emilee and Jordan) moved to Eldon, MO, in the spring of 1994 to minister as house parents at the Lake Ozark Children's Home. Letters titled "From Mission to Mission" followed regularly. In June 1996, the Danials returned to their Liverpool, NY, home and he returned to Stickley.