There were five Stickley brothers, all involved in furniture production in the late 19th to early 20th century. Between and amongst them, they were involved with nine furniture companies but never more than three of the brothers in any company.
The oldest and most well known Stickley was Gustave (later truncated to Gustav). He was a major proponent of the Arts & Crafts movement. He so believed in the movement that he expanded his business beyond furniture to include metalwork and textiles, home building and a magazine, The Craftsman. His Craftsman Workshops was absorbed by L. & J.G. Stickley in 1916.
Leopold and John George Stickley founded L. & J. G. Stickley, Inc. in the early 1900’s. Incorporation is easier if you don’t use a fictional name. They had their own line of Arts and Crafts furniture and expanded the line when they acquired their brother Gustav(e)’s company. Their company is the only surviving Stickley company and is know now as Stickley Audi.
Stickley was able to survive by changing with the times. In the 1910’s, the American public turned away from Art & Crafts and Mission furniture and enthusiastically embraced Colonial Revival furniture. Colonial revival had its roots in the 1870’s Centennial celebrations. It exploded in the early 20th century with a wave of nostalgia for the simpler and more innocent times (that might have never been). Wallace Nutting, one of the ringleaders and most opportunistic merchants of the era, was quoted as saying: “Whatever is new, is bad.”
Gustav Stickley offered a few Colonial and Chinese Chippendale pieces for sale in the early 1900’s. L. & J. G. made a more extensive collection in their Cherry Valley Furniture.
I am bringing this up because I noticed 12 (or 13) pieces in a recent local auction. I thought it unusual to see so many vintage pieces from one maker and felt compelled to share it with you.
And here it is.
We know it’s Stickley ’cause it says so.
L & J.G. Stickley Chippendale Style Corner Cupboard – Sold for $340.
This is a construction detail not consistent with historic practices. If you make a reproduction of this piece, would you have to use screw hole plugs?
L & J.G. Stickley Chippendale Style China Cabinet – Sold for $260
L & J.G. Stickley Colonial Revival Bookcase – Sold for $260
L & J.G. Stickley, Colonial Revival Hutch – Sold for $260
L & J.G. Stickley, Chippendale Style Chest of Drawers – Sold for $210
L & J.G. Stickley Chippendale Style Chest of Drawers – Sold for $240
L & J.G. Stickley Chippendale Style Diminutive Dresser – Sold for $150
L & J.G. Stickley Double Pedestal Dining Table – Sold for $340
Set of Eight Banister Back Dining Chairs-Sold for $225. Not identified as Stickley but from the same era and estate.
L & J.G. Stickley, Colonial Revival Side Table -Sold for $130
Another screw hole plug. How 50’s.
L & J.G. Stickley Queen Anne Style Candlestand – Sold for $70
L & J.G. Stickley Colonial Revival Drop Side Table – Sold for $100
L & JG Stickley Trumeau – Sold for $75
Trumeau definition, a mirror having a painted or carved panel above or below the glass in the same frame
or
A trumeau mirror or pier glass is a wall mirror originally manufactured in France in the 18th century. It takes its name from the French word trumeau, which designates the space between windows. In England it is normally known as a ‘pier glass’.