Gustav Stickley: Born: March 9, 1858, Osceola, Wisconsin Died: April 21, 1942, Syracuse, New York irst trained as a stone mason, Stickley preferred to work in wood and dreamt of building fine tables and chairs. He learned furniture making at his uncle's chair factory in Gardner, Mass. Traveling to Europe in 1898, he met notable Arts and Crafts designers. The following year he returned to the United States and founded the United Crafts of Eastwood, New York. In 1904 Stickley founded the Craftsman Workshops. The furniture he designed and made was mostly of native American oak. It was of a sturdy-plain design in contrast to the highly decorated late Victorian pieces. Joinery was exposed and upholstery was carried out in canvas and leather (natural materials). It became known as Mission Style.Stickley's designs were exhibited at the prestigious Grand Rapids and Pan American furniture expositions. In 1901 Stickley founded the periodical known as The Craftsman that began by expounding the philosophy of the English Arts & Crafts movement. As it matured, the publication is credited with being the leading voice of that movement in the United States. In 1903 Stickley established the Craftsman Home Builders Club to spread his ideas on domestic architecture. Working with architect Harvey Ellis, he designed house plans for the magazine that later appeared in two books: Craftsman Homes(1909) and More Craftsman Homes. (1912) These books illustrated the homes' exteriors, as well as their interiors, and were accompanied with a floor plan. Financial problems forced Stickley to stop publication of The Craftsman in 1916. While he lived another twenty six years, Stickley's popularity had waned by the end of the Great War. Some resources worth a look or check our Books Page: The Craftsman, An Anthology Barry Sanders, (Editor) reprint by Peregrine Smith Inc. Santa Barbara, California, 1978 The Best of Craftsman Homes Gustav Stickley, reprint by Peregrine Smith Inc. Santa Barbara, California, 1979 Collected Works of Gustav Stickley Gustav Stickley, reprint by Turn of the Century Editions, New York, New York, 1981 Craftsman Homes Gustav Stickley, reprint by Dover Publications, New York, New York, 1979 More Craftsman Homes Gustav Stickley, reprint by Dover Publications, New York, New York, 1982 Craftsman Bungalows Gustav Stickley, reprint by Dover Publications, New York, New York, 1988 The Forgotten Rebel, Gustav Stickley and his Craftsman Mission furniture John Crosby Freeman, Century House, Watkins Glenn, New York, 1965 Furniture of the American Arts & Crafts Movement: Stickley, and Roycroft Mission Oak David M. Cathers, New American Library, New York, New York, 1981 Gustav Stickley, the Craftsman Mary Ann Smith, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York, 1983