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Covered Box by Lucia K. Mathews.
The Arts & Crafts movement began in England in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States a few years later. The followers of the movement sought-out the hand-made production methods of the past, as a reaction to the industrial age. California had their own take on the Arts & Crafts philosophy which manifested itself in the architecture of Greene & Greene and the work of many small artisans like Mathews.
Arthur Frank Mathews, Spring Dance c. 1917.
Mathews and his wife Lucia were followers of the Arts and Crafts movement as it manifested in California. His training as both an artist and an architect led to beautiful painting surrounded by equally beautiful frames of his design.
Mabel Tainter Memorial Building, 1889 by architect Harvey Ellis, Menomonie, WI
The style of this building is called Richardsonian Romanesque, but the architect was a strong behind-the-scenes influence on the American Arts & Crafts movement. Harvey Ellis worked with Gustav Stickley and has been credited with many of the company's furniture designs and undoubtedly influenced Stickley's Craftsman style.
Pewabic Pottery in the Guardian Building, Detroit
Detail from Pewabic Pottery tile decoration from the Guardian Building, 1928, Detroit MI.
Mary Chase Perry Stratton and her partner Horace Caulkins founded the Pewabic Pottery based on the Arts & Crafts style and ideal sweeping the country. The building they built in 1907 they moved to the building that still houses an active pottery, museum and store.
Pewabic Pottery Tiles the Guardian Building, Detroit.
I received this fantastic book as a gift and had to re-post the Guardian Building. Anyone who is into architecture will love it and Detroiters need to see it to appreciate gems in that city (before they disappear).
Gamble House, 1908 by Greene & Greene, Pasadena, CA.
A masterful combination of arts & crafts and Japanese aesthetics, the Gamble House is one of the crowning glories of the movement that preached a return to skilled craftsmanship and creating beautiful, useful objects.
Dining Room, The Gamble House, Pasadena CA