A History of the Arts & Crafts Revival

For more info, see our links to web sites relating to the Arts & Crafts Movement.

A History of the Arts & Crafts Revival

Today many of us enjoy what we call Arts and Crafts objects, furniture and homes. Although we take it for granted that these treasures have always been appreciated this has not always been the case. Most of what we call Arts and Crafts design in America originated from about 1895 to about 1918. Thus what we call “the period” was only about twenty three years long. Those few years yielded an enormous output of original creative energy. The popularity of this radical, for the time, artistic expression waned after World War I until modern times. What we call Arts and Crafts treasures, were ignored and dismissed as crude and in poor taste for at least fifty years. My how times and tastes have changed!

Today we are enjoying what is often called “the Arts and Crafts revival.” In the early 1970’s a few brave souls dared to challenge the established dictators of taste and started to appreciate and collect these unique objects. Not even antique in the early 1970’s, most objects of the Arts and Crafts period were disdained and ignored by nearly every art dealer and collector.

1972 Princeton University Exhibition

This attitude was directly challenged in 1972 by Robert Judson Clark, professor of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University, in the seminal exhibition “The Arts and Crafts Movement In America.” He bravely presented, from the few sources of the time, these objects as wonders of design and beauty. It was a truly remarkable and diverse collection we know today to be examples of the best work ever done in the period. Few people had the opportunity to witness the exhibit personally but the lucky ones that attended and recognized the unique and great beauty of these pieces went away changed people. They began to research and collect what could be found in flea markets, yard sales and junk stores.

Princeton University, 1972 Arts & Crafts Exhibition
Above: The Princeton University exhibit in 1972 initiated the modern Arts & Crafts revival.

The great contribution of the exhibition was the catalog of the same name. Those that did not attend, but heard of it, were able to read the catalog and begin their own education. The catalog became the first and only resource for early collectors. The catalog is a best seller and is still in print today from the Princeton Press.

The early 1970’s was a period of grass roots investigation and discovery of Arts and Crafts treasures. It was common to find fabulous pieces for almost nothing. The best collections today often have their roots in this time when great objects were available and affordable.

In 1974 interest gained momentum and several important events occurred. The Pasadena Art Museum sponsored the “California Design 1910 Exhibition.” This was the best investigation, to date, into California’s contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement. Again, the catalog from the show was published and became a new resource for California based collectors. Many of the great California artists we love today were re-introduced to the general public.

In 1974 the venerable Stickley Company was sold to the Audi family. Reduced to a few employees but still manufacturing solid traditional furniture, they had long abandoned their trademark Craftsman furniture. The Audi’s resurrected the original designs and began to rebuild the company. Within ten years they were able to reintroduce the traditional Stickley Craftsman furniture. For the first time in sixty years Americans could buy newly manufactured Arts and Crafts furniture.

The 1970’s saw the publishing of more books for collectors. Most of the new publications were reprints of furniture catalogs from the original Stickley furniture companies. They proved invaluable tools for identifying the pieces that began to show up in auctions and antique stores. Far from the mainstream, collectors were a small cult of avid seekers. Standards for collecting were very high by today’s standards. Only signed Gustav or Leopold Stickley pieces with original finish were of any real interest. Today these pieces are reserved for the very wealthy at the most exclusive auction houses.

1980s: The Arts & Crafts Revival Grows

Everything began to change in the 1980’s. The Stickley Company’s marketing efforts, combined with aggressive promoting by antique dealers began to gain the interest of major collectors with serious purchasing power. Movie stars and other moneyed buyers began to compete for the best pieces. Prices set new records at every auction. Select buyers entered the market, on the heels of the rich and famous, and began to purchase lower quality more affordable pieces and a few newly made pieces, especially new Stickley. The market was still very small and restricted to a few “in the know.” Quality expectations were still very high but with the inclusion of a wider selection of period designers such as Limbert, Roycroft, Lifetime, and the other Stickley brothers.

As interest in the period grew more venues began to open up. Antique dealers and auction houses focused exclusively on the Arts and Crafts period began to become more common. The Arts and Crafts Quarterly began publication and is still publishing under the name Style 1900. The Grove Park Inn annual Arts and Crafts Conference began in Asheville, North Carolina. Bruce Johnson founded the event and still organizes it every year. The Grove Park Inn show remains the most important event of the year for arts and crafts collectors. A few hearty souls began reintroducing newly made products reproducing period designs. Dianne Ayres founded Arts and Crafts Textiles and pioneered the reintroduction of handmade textiles for the home in the arts and crafts tradition. Michael Adams started Aurora Studios and began producing hand hammered copper lighting of the highest quality.

1990s: An Exploding Market for Arts & Crafts

In the 1990’s the market exploded. Major media exposure introduced mainstream America to the period in a big way. Americans were also experiencing many of the same tensions that the Victorians of the 1890’s had. In both cases “progress” invaded the lives of the middle class and created a sense of loss and anxiety. A human reaction to this condition is to yearn for an imaginary nostalgic past. Organic materials and forms with a myth of handwork had great appeal to the human soul both then and now. The increasing de-humanization of society increases the need for a comforting womb of peace and serenity in the home. The Arts and Crafts style offered a salve to the soul in the face of this frightening change.

Quality antique forms became hard to find and quality started to decline. The best pieces had been collected and when they did appear, the prices were far beyond the means of most collectors. Many of the original collectors stopped buying simply because they had better pieces and wanted to enjoy the financial appreciation of their collections. Some of the best collections were sold off at auction at a huge profit. The 1990’s saw ever higher prices setting auction records continually. The average collector was completely priced out of the market and had to be content with anonymous pieces of indifferent quality.

A flood of new books appeared on the market covering every conceivable aspect of the period. Most of these books were well researched and made an important contribution to understanding the forms and times. They all contributed to raising public awareness of the beauty of the style and possibilities of using it in the home. Nearly anything published sold well and was eagerly purchased by anyone interested in the style.

Hordes of new buyers entered the market and grabbed anything in oak with a square leg and a dark finish. The style was definitely “trendy” and a common attitude was that anything arts and crafts was priceless regardless of form or condition. Reckless buying was driving an unsustainable market with senseless speculation expecting huge appreciation. Dealers started seeing buyers with no real love for the form but simply attracted because of the cache of association with movie stars and the lust for huge profits via unrealistic resale expectations. Some dealers fed this attitude for the sake of a sale.

New Manufacturers, New Opportunities

The 1990’s saw the establishment of modern craftspeople creating new objects in the style of the period. Many new businesses were started to fill the gap left by the lack of affordable old pieces. Furniture makers such as Warren Hile (see our Warren Hile Furniture catalog) and Caledonia Studios (see our Caledonia Studios catalog) began to compete with Stickley for the new furniture market. For $2000 a person could purchase a very high quality reproduction Morris chair the original of which could easily cost $25,000. The only difference is 100 years of patina. To some the difference is worth $23,000, to most it is not.

A new buyer began to appear who did not want to pay a premium for a label or a name, but wanted high quality and the “look.” This new buyer did not like the idea of living with a museum piece that cost as much a college education. They had money, but wanted to spend it on a piece they could live with comfortably and pass on to their heirs. Also the antique collectors still needed certain pieces to fill out their homes. Queen size beds, coffee tables, and other modern forms were included seamlessly into collections of fine antiques.

New Craftspeople Fill The Need

Coppersmiths appeared producing hand hammered hardware and other forms. Potters began a revival of art pottery in the style of the early 20th century. Architects began designing homes with strong traditional Arts and Crafts roots. Entire huge developments were built with obvious Arts and Crafts influences. By the end of the decade the newly made objects dominated the market and the quality antiques were mostly for the very wealthy.

In 2000 the dot com bubble burst and a huge amount of disposable wealth disappeared overnight. Many of the antique buyers in the market derived their wealth from stock options and expected their high priced antiques to appreciate like their stock. In fact the antique prices did follow the stock values. After the crash the high end speculative antique market began to spiral down. Many speculators were very disappointed in the prices they received at auction for pieces they had paid too much for. Others decided to hold and not sell. Those who had purchased newly made forms saw no such devaluation. Very rare and marvelous pieces still commanded ever high prices, but the average high quality piece lost value. The generic forms lost far less value or none at all.

2006: A Mature and Stable Arts & Crafts Market

In 2006 the Arts and Crafts market has matured and corrected itself to more accurately reflect reality. Nearly all the existing antique forms have been found. It is rare to find anything of quality that has been in a basement for 100 years. Most antiques coming to market now are from collectors trading and upgrading. Many original collectors have passed on and their heirs would rather send their kids to college than live with Dad’s very valuable furniture.

Prices are reasonably stable and are much more sensitive to traditional antique standards for valuation. Rarity, form, condition, and provenance now determine price far more than speculative hysteria. Mid-range quality antiques are now favorably priced with equivalent newly made forms. For those who prefer a perfect new piece to a distressed antique piece the price will be similar. Buyers today can feel comfortable that the antiques they buy in most cases will retain value and the new pieces will become the antiques of the future.

Arts & Crafts: An Iconic American Style

The Arts and Crafts style has evolved from a cult to a trend to an American classic. It is thoroughly vested in the American psyche as an integral part of our culture and a proud contributor to the world of art. All major American furniture manufacturers are offering a “Mission” line of furniture as part of their traditional offerings. Quality varies and the interpretation of what Arts and Crafts is would make the purists scream. A buyer will find the best forms are still made in small shops around the country often by part time artists. The huge manufacturers are simply incapable of creating an equal product. Prices reflect the range of quality available. Essentially “you get what you pay for” is true in this market. Hand work cannot be duplicated en masse.

The American Arts and Crafts style is here to stay as a permanent part of our culture. The renaissance of the period has already lasted longer than the original period and still counting. As long as people live in bungalows and appreciate handwork and quality construction we will see objects that our descendents will value and enjoy. Hand worked objects of wood, clay and natural fibers help us stay in touch with our heart and soul.

Warren Hile furniture | Caledonia Studios furniture

— Lee Jester, Owner, The Craftsman Home: May 2006, Berkeley, California