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Stickley sale and auctions in the
Antique Web!
 STICKLEY?
by Fred Taylor
WHICH
STICKLEY?
Anyone who
dabbles in older and antique furniture knows that the name
"Stickley" is an important one in American antique furniture.
And everybody knows that Gustav Stickley made much of the high
priced Mission style furniture that currently enjoys so much
favor in the auction market. Is that all there is to it? Not by
a long shot.
When you see a
tag marked "Stickley" or hear the auctioneer mention that the
next piece is a "Stickley" piece, it doesn't mean you have found
a treasure. You may have but you need to dig deeper. There were
actually five Stickley brothers and they were all involved in
the furniture industry in some way or another in various
combinations in the late 19th and early 20th century. The five
brothers were Gustav (1858-1942), Leopold (1869-1957), Charles
(1871-1921), John George and Albert (d. 1928), all the sons of
German immigrants. Gustav was the oldest and ultimately the most
influential. He was the purist and the theorist who provided the
artistic foundation for the rest of the clan.
In 1884 three
of the brothers, Gustav, Charles and Albert opened the first
formal furniture venture of the family in Binghamton, New York.
It was originally called Stickley Brothers Furniture Co and
later was known as Gustav Stickley Co. Charles left almost
immediately after forming the company and opened his own
operation with an uncle. Charles' new company was known as
Stickley-Brandt, also head quartered in Binghamton. It
originally made Victorian design furniture and then turned to
the Mission style, specializing in chairs. This company went out
of business in 1919, a victim of World War I and the dying Arts
& Crafts market.
Albert left
the original company and went to Grand Rapids, MI to team up
with brother John George to form the new Stickley Brothers
Furniture Company in 1891. Initially the company produced
occasional chairs and tables in a wide range of styles from
Colonial Revival to early Mission. John George left the company
in 1900 but Albert soldiered on by himself, helping to develop
the first "Quaint" line, the "Quaint Mission". The various
"Quaint " lines were to characterize Stickley Brothers furniture
for the next fifty years. After "Quaint Mission" came "Quaint
Arts & Crafts" in 1904. Then, turning attention back to Colonial
Revival, followed Quaint Tudor", "Quaint Manor", 1914, "Quaint
American" in the early 1920's and "Quaint Colonial" in 1925.
Even though Albert died in 1928, these variations of early
furniture styles continued until the company closed in 1954.
This label from Stickley Brothers is from the mid
1920's. |
When John
George left Stickley Brothers in 1900, he paired up with brother
Leopold to buy the firm of Collins, Sisson & Pratt in
Fayetteville, NY. By 1904 it was reincorporated as L & J.G.
Stickley, Inc. and they introduced their first original line,
"Mission Oak" in 1905 at a trade show in Grand Rapids. In 1922
Leopold introduced the "Cherry Valley Collection" placing the
firm squarely and permanently in the Colonial Revival market.
After his
brothers deserted him in the original business, Gustav took a
trip to Europe where he was inspired by English reformers
William Morris and John Ruskin. He returned to America with a
new zeal for producing a line of handmade furniture based on
honesty and simplicity of design. Even though he founded his
United Crafts shop in 1899, he also found an outlet for his work
in the Tobey Furniture Company of Chicago. His unsigned Arts &
Crafts pieces carried only the Tobey label until 1901 when he
formed his Craftsman shop and began to mark his work with his
own label.
As influential
and dominant as Gustav was in the field of Mission design and
construction, imitation by competitors, including his brothers,
eventually led to his demise. He declared bankruptcy in 1915 and
his shop was acquired by L. & J. G who operated it as The
Stickley Manufacturing Company.
This is one of Gustav's
marks used in the early 1900's. |
In 1956, at
the age of 87, the last surviving brother, Leopold was named
Revered Dean of Cabinet Makers. In 1974 the firm of L. & J. G.
Stickley, Inc. was acquired from Mrs. Louis Stickley by Alfred
and Aminy Audi. Alfred's father, E. J. Audi had been a personal
friend of Leopold's, who always felt the Audi family would
continue his tradition. The firm is operated today in Manlius,
NY under the name L. & J. G. Stickley but since there are no
other family members left in the business it is just called "Stickley".
So, does the
Stickley name imply that you have found your treasure? The real
question is which Stickley name and how is it proven. A piece
with one of Gustav's original brands or tags is the best.
Mission style made by L. & J. G. is the next best but an
unmarked piece could have been made by either of them or by
someone else because so many virtually identical pieces were
made during the popular period. Pieces marked with other
variations of Stickley companies may carry a premium but
generally not much more than any other quality line of
furniture. Just know which Stickley you have found.
Visit Fred's website at:
www.furnituredetective.com
Fred Taylor's new book
"HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for
$18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for
$20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL
34423.
Fred and Gail Taylor's
video, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE",
($29.95 includes S & H) is also available at the same
address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax
(352) 563-2916, or e-mail
fmtaylor@aol.com.
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