STICKLEY?
This article by Fred Taylor on Stickley furniture is a must read. -editor AntiqueWeb.com
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 It originally made Victorian design furniture and then turned to the Mission style, specializing in chairs.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. Cont'd
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. Cont'd
posted by Times Publishing at
9:47 AM
0 Comments
