rts and Crafts
was, in reality, a social movement as well as a design style. The movement began in
England in the 1870’s, championed by the influential artist, William
Morris, and the well respected thinker, John
Ruskin. Some of the goals that
drove the Arts and Crafts movement were awareness and improvement in the
fields of education, science, conservation, labor conditions and design aesthetics.
Concern was expressed by proponents of Arts and Crafts that civilization
had come too far, too fast in the Age of Industrialization, and that machines
were undermining true craftsmanship. New design guidelines called for honest
lines, natural materials, and refined craftsmanship in homes, furniture and
decorative arts.
The dominant years of Arts and Crafts in America were the mid-1890's to
1915. From 1901 to 1916, Gustav Stickley published and edited his magazine ‘The
Craftsman,’ which offered personal and practical advise on how to live
a “Craftsman” life while it showed the world what Craftsman styles
really looked like. The overriding concept was put forth that simplification
in the home would lead to happiness, enlightenment health. This resulted
from integrity of design, hand-workmanship and the re-introduction to nature.
Associated with Arts and Crafts is the Mission style (of the early 20th century), Craftsman design, Prairie Style/ Frank Lloyd Wright, Greene and Greene, Bernard Maybeck style, and the (American) Bungalow style. Other names in the American decorative arts scene are Dirk Van Erp, L.C. Tiffany, Handel, Roycroft, Charles Rohlfs, Grueby, Rookwood, Newcomb, Limbert, Fulper, and L. and J.G. Stickley.