Gustav Stickley vs L. & J.G. Stickley: what you are actually asking for
There were several Stickley brothers and at least two furniture companies that matter. Gustav Stickley ran the Craftsman workshops and published The Craftsman magazine; his mark is a joiner's compass enclosing the motto Als ik kan. L. & J.G. Stickley was his brothers Leopold and John George's company, which marketed early work as "The Onondaga Shops," took over Gustav's workshops in 1918, and is still in business today reissuing his original designs. If you are commissioning a piece, which one you mean changes the proportions, the detailing, and sometimes the price by a factor of ten.
Reviewed
The short version
| Gustav Stickley | L. & J.G. Stickley | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Gustav, the eldest of the furniture-making brothers | Leopold and John George, his younger brothers |
| Known for | The Craftsman workshops, The Craftsman magazine | The Onondaga Shops, later the surviving company |
| Mark | Joiner's compass with Als ik kan and his signature beneath | "The Onondaga Shops" early; by 1912 "THE WORK OF L. & J.G. STICKLEY" in red and yellow rectangles |
| Character | Severe, structurally explicit, heavier | Often slightly lighter and more refined, though the ranges overlap |
| Today | Designs reissued by the surviving company | The operating company, still making furniture |
In 1918 Leopold and John George took over Gustav's workshops. The firm they built has run continuously since, which is why "Stickley" is a live trademark rather than a historical label.
Why this matters for a commission
If you say "Stickley" to a maker, you have not told them much. The useful brief names one of these instead:
- A specific catalog piece, by number if you have it, or by photograph
- A period, since early work differs from later work within each company
- A character: heavy and severe, or lighter and more refined
- A detail vocabulary: through tenons pinned or keyed, corbels or none, arched aprons or straight, slats spaced wide or tight
That is a brief a furniture maker can quote from. "Stickley style" is not.
The mark question, and why you should care
Marks are how originals are authenticated, and they are also the line you must not cross when commissioning.
Gustav used the joiner's compass with Als ik kan ("to the best of my ability") and his signature. L. & J.G. used the Onondaga Shops branding early and moved to the clearer printed rectangles by 1912.
A maker building you an interpretation signs it with their own mark. Not a compass, not a rectangle, not anything that reads as a period Stickley shop mark. This is not fussiness. Applying an imitation of a historic maker's mark to new work is how an honest reproduction becomes a fake in the next generation's hands, and the Stickley name is a live trademark besides. Our guide to commissioning reproductions covers the law.
Ask any maker how they will mark and date the piece. A good one has already thought about it.
What each is worth
This is a collector market, and prices are set at auction rather than by any list. Documented Gustav Stickley work generally commands more than period L. & J.G. work, but form, rarity, condition and provenance move prices far more than the name alone, and the spread on Gustav pieces is enormous.
Check recent results at the auction houses that handle Arts and Crafts material before you set a budget. A commissioned interpretation from a working American furniture maker is a different market again, and is priced as furniture rather than as a collectible.
If value retention matters more to you than fit, buy the antique. If fit matters more, commission.
Which route is right for you
| If you want… | Do this |
|---|---|
| The historical object, as an artifact | Buy a documented period piece at auction |
| The catalog design, exactly as drawn, new | Buy the licensed reissue from the operating company |
| The design language, at your dimensions, in your wood | Commission an interpretation |
| A missing piece to complete a set you own | Commission, and bring the existing piece to the maker |
That last row is the strongest case for commissioning. Completing a set, building the sideboard that matches the table you inherited, or fitting a bookcase wall to a room that never had one is work the antique market cannot do for you.
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