5 Brothers - 1 Passion

Five brothers from Osceola, Wisconsin—Gustav, Albert, Charles, Leopoldand John George—began making furniture at their uncle's factory in Brandt, Pennsylvania around 1877.  Through sixty years of collaboration and competition, these men profoundly affected American furniture.  From 1883 to 1918, every Stickley had worked with each brother in at least one venture, though at no time did all 5 worktogether.  Click on a portrait to reveal a little about the Stickley's.

Shop Mark History

Through the years, our shop mark has taken on different appearances, but its meaning has never changed: Timeless quality.  The burned-in brands, metal tags, decals and paper labels used to mark Stickley's furniture is a certificate of our solemn promise that the furniture has been crafted to the best of our ability.

Collectors use the shop mark as a hint to pinpoint the date of production and the Stickley brothers are responsible for making the furniture.  They are not completely accurate, but they can help to identify a piece.

  • United Crafts Mark 1902-1903

    Gustav Stickley takes the rare step of labeling his Craftsman furniture with a shop mark.  He chooses a joiner's compass as his logo with the phrase "Als ikkan" (To the best of my ability) inscribed within and his signature underneath.

  • L. & J.G. Stickley Marks  1902-1906

    L. & J.G. Stickley begin to market themselves as "The Onondaga Shops," honoring the New York County in which the furniture is made.  They adopt these shop mark for their furniture.

  • United Crafts Mark 1902-1904 

    Some of the furniture made by United Crafts before 1904 bearthis decal.

  • Craftsman Workshops Mark 1904-1906

    This shop mark, with its looping "G" is found on many of the highly sought Harvey Ellis-designed pieces.

  • Craftsman Workshops Mark 1905-1912

    This decal bears a signature that most closely resembles Gustav Stickley's actual signature.

  • Craftsman Workshops Paper Label 1905-1907

    As Gustav Stickley begins to standardize his furniture line, he starts to use paper labels to mark some pieces.

  • 1907-1912

    In 1907, L. & J.G. Stickley launch their ambitious “Handcraft” line of mission furniture. To signify this new phase, they replace the oval Onondaga Shops label with the hand screw, a classic furniture marker’s tool.

  • Craftsman Workshops Paper Label 1907-1912

    Gustav begins to write his “guarantee” on a paper label to ensure the customer that he personally stands behind the product. 

  • L. & J.G. Stickley Mark 1912-1920

    As they begin to expand beyond mission furniture, L. & J.G. Stickley change to a simple, rectangular logo. Furniture from this era may be heat-branded, tagged with a metal plate, or may have a decal.

  • Craftsman Workshops Burned-In Brand 1912-1916

    Gustav Stickley shifted to a heat brand to mark his furniture during the last years of The Craftsman Workshops. 

  • Craftsman Workshops Paper Label 1912-1916

    A late Craftsman Workshops Paper Label

  • Stickley Associated Cabinetmakers 1916-1919

    Gustav Stickley joins L. & J.G. Stickley Associated Cabinetmakers. They symbolize the merger by co-joining the Craftsman joiner’s compass with the L. & J.G. hand screw. 

  • L. & J.G. Stickley Brand 1925–1985

    This brand is the most common Stickley shop mark. It is used on almost every piece of furniture made by Stickley for 60 years, including all the Cherry Valley furniture from the mid-20th Century. 

  • L. & J.G. Stickley 50 Year Anniversary Medallion  1950

    The L. & J.G. Stickley Anniversary pieces from 1950 bear a particular medallion that honors the man who would become “The Revered Dean of Cabinetmakers,” Leopold Stickley.

  • L. & J.G. Stickley Paper Label 1945-1985

    Cherry Valley Collection becomes so well known in the mid 20th century that a cherry tree is incorporated into the paper label.

  • L. & J.G. Stickley Oval Shopmark  1985-2007

    In 1985, . & J.G. Stickley expands into a state of the art facility, ensuring continued growth in upstate New York. Poised for greatness, the company updates its shop mark. 

  • L. & J.G. Stickley Mission Medallion 1989-Present

    To celebrate the reissue of the Stickley Mission Collection, we revisit the combined handscrew and joiners compass of our founding brothers. The shop mark is a medallion that is tacked directly to the piece.

  •  L. & J.G. Stickley Shop Mark 2007-Present

    Beginning in 2008, Stickley returns to the simple, block lettering of the past with a new heat brand seared into each piece of Stickley furniture.