The history of art, as well as architecture and furniture, is defined by shifts in styles. Design follows one line or another and then suddenly it changes. But it doesn’t all pivot at once. History weighs the shifts heavily. Meanwhile, the old styles, the old ways, and the old design lines continue while the tastemakers suck the air out of a room.
One example is the Craftsman style. I live in a house that has been described as Craftsman on the outside and American Foursquare on the inside. That’s because the Craftsman, along with the neoclassical, were influences on architecture in the early 20th century. A particular structure doesn’t as often fully embrace one style as we might like to think.
Craftsman and neoclassical were also both influences on the American Foursquare style, which began with a nod to the Craftsman and developed an embrace of the neoclassical. The latter may be more prevalent. One source contends about 40% of U.S. homes built between 1910 and 1930 followed the Colonial Revival* (neoclassical) style.
For reference, the Craftsman style emerged in early 1900s America, largely influenced by Gustav Stickley’s magazine The Craftsman. Homes in this style are characterized by overhanging eaves, exposed wood, and front porches. The American Foursquare house is more of a design that straddled styles and emerged from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. The American Foursquare often combines elements of the Prairie School, Craftsman, and neoclassical elements, which were adopted in later versions of the homes. Neoclassical architecture emphasized symmetry, columns, and classical motifs. In the foursquare, this influence might be seen in details like columned porches or classical moldings.
A reaction to the complexity of Victorian-era architecture, foursquare homes have straightforward features, and homeowners have the freedom to personalize their interiors with any architectural style they desire. Neoclassical elements, such as elegant furniture, rich color palettes, and woodwork painted to mimic marble were common, as were earth tones, wood paneling, and practical, comfortable, and handcrafted furnishings associated with the Craftsman style.
When it comes to furniture, you can see from advertisements that neoclassical and traditional styles continued to be available alongside Craftsman styles and revival styles grew in popularity as the century progressed. Yet, little research is readily available on the revival furniture that proliferated as the architectural styles adapted. As you can see, the classical influence is kind of like the landscapes that continued to be painted throughout the surrealist, modernist, and pop-art periods – the old design line continues and occasionally resurfaces, occasionally for considerable periods.
Let’s explore a bit through newspaper ads:
First, a 1910 advertisement from the Herald Republican in Salt Lake City Utah showing Craftsman-style furniture.
Here’s a Sunday Oregonian newspaper ad from 1912 that shows a mix of furniture styles, including furniture with a mission influence intended to complement the Craftsman style.
Now an Oregonian ad from 1913 shows more of a neoclassical influence. Note the line items that reference the Empire style as well as the image of the neoclassical sideboard.
And with the New York Tribune into 1921.
From looking at this 1929 Evening Star ad it would seem the Craftsman influence was long gone.
Here’s a 1938 advertisement that’s very heavy on the neoclassical.
It’s not easy to identify a crafts person or manufacturer of furniture from many periods, but references for furniture made in neoclassical styles between about 1915 and 1940, are few and far between. That’s probably because there hasn’t been much interest in it – and maybe for good reason – it’s manufactured, mass-produced, and borrowing heavily from earlier styles. Yet, this is what furnished most of our homes through much of our history. It has probably been mistaken or sold as much earlier on many occasions and is now approaching antique status itself so probably deserves some exploration.
If you know any good references, please share. I will follow up here with any revelations!
*Colonial revival contains elements of the neoclassical but incorporates a wider variety of revival styles.
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