HOW IT WORKS: USING THIS SITE'S FEATURES

(And Some Questions Answered)

Browse Items:
Clicking on this will give you access to every item–whether person, piece of furniture, or catalog–that is presently in the database.  The default ordering of these items is sorted by date, so the earliest items in the database will appear first.  Below the menu bar and header on the left-hand side are the sorting options.  The first gives you a choice of title, date, or model no. and the second allows you to specify ascending or descending order.  Pick one and click the sort button to reorder the items.  

Browse Collections:
Items are grouped into “item sets” that make browsing more rewarding because these allow like items to be placed together.  Items can (and frequently do) belong to more than one set.   Once you click on an item set, you can browse through (and reorder) the items in that set.  The sets range from broad (like case pieces) to specific (like "stools" or "1903 / 04 inlaid furniture").

Search:
Clicking “Search” will bring you to an advanced search page with a number of options to explore.  “Search by Value” is the most useful for targeting searches more narrowly, especially because it allows you to have multiple fields and the results can be easily sorted.  The button labeled "add new value" will create another line to enter terms in.  For instance, you can select “title" +contains "chair" +and "title" +does not contain "arm" to view all side and dining chairs.  Conversely, if you only like arm chairs (or archairs) you could enter "title" +contains "arm chair" +or "title" contains "arm chair" and see only the armed versions that were made.  

What About a Full Text Search?
To search the full text of an entry, simply leave the first box ("Any Property") untouched, use "contains" as the rule, and then type in the term. Names that collectors and dealers have used, like "bow arm" or "U-back," which were never used in the period and are not part of the title, are often accessible by this method.  DO NOT  USE QUOTATION MARKS TO CONSTRAIN YOUR TERMS, as this often delivers no results.  Once the results are delivered, you can sort the results of the search. 

"Cataloged In"  vs. "Documented In" 
These two fields help to segregate the data better and yield more options in controlling the search for items.  "Cataloged in" is the field reserved for catalogs issued by Stickley that links back to the entries of those publications.  By contrast, "Documented in," is used for articles, inventories, and anything that contains information on the furniture that is not a catalog.   For instance, searching for the term "Craftsman" in the "Documented in" field returns items that were published in The Craftsman,  whereas the same search in the "Cataloged in" field would return results from anything that appeared in a catalog containing the word "Craftsman," but no results from items only appearing in the magazine.

Search by Item Set
“Search by Item Set” is a means to narrow your search to a particular grouping.  This is useful because the advanced search fields work in concert.  For instance, you can enter “chair” in the full text search, select “Cataloged In” + “contains” + “1912”, and select “willow” from “Search by Item Set” to find any willow chairs that appear in any catalog dated 1912.

Sorting:
A drop-down menu on the upper left-hand side of the page will allow you to sort the results of a browse or search by title, model number, or date in ascending or descending order.  Because of the way the search engine is configured, model number sorting has the following known issue:  digits are treated somewhat independently of one another.  For instance,  the 400-series tables will display before Drink Stand (no. 41), because the search is reading "40x" as smaller than "41."  2600-series chairs appear prior to Clock (no. 3)., because 2 is smaller than 3.  That said, when you are looking for closely related items and variations, the model number is a useful way to sorth things.

Assumptions Made for Dating
The dating of objects in the database reflects the documented span of production or advertising, but–because of the fragmentary nature of the evidence–relies on the following assumptions:

Variations share the same production period.  For instance, a table and its counterpart in leather (like no. 410 and no. 410-L) have been dated to the full range documented for both objects.  

Inventories and Catalogs featuring a January date reflect production in the previous year. If a form is photographed for inclusion in the January 1909 catalog (for instance), it is necessarily in production during 1908 since there is time required to photograph the finished form and produce the catalog.  Likewise, the inlaid furniture that Stickley featured in the January 1904 issue of The Craftsman, had to have been made in 1903 in order for it to be photographed and ready for inclusion in the magazine. 

Unless otherwise indicated, forms continue in production until the next catalog is released.  Things appearing in the 1913 catalog are thus presumed to be in production through 1915.  The exception to this rule is the 1912 Craftsman Furnishings catalog, since it contains items not typically found in the furniture catalogs.  

The dates you give are different than those I was told.  Why is that?
Part of the reason for this database was to correct misperceptions in the field about the date of objects by synthesizing all available information rather than relying solely on incomplete data from catalogs and reprints.  The dates given for the objects are a range that can be  determined from the documentation available.  As new information emerges, these will be adjusted accordingly.

How should I site the information from this site? 
Unsigned entries and essays should be credited to Jonathan Clancy, and–because the platform evolves over time–you should include the date the information was accessed.  For a footnote, I would suggest the following:

Jonathan Clancy, "Craftsman Workshops, Settle (no. 290), 1906-10" The Stickley Project Furniture Database, accessed November 14, 2020. Available at: http://furniture.stickleyproject.com/database/item/32782

Why do some (so many) entries say "No Image Located" and why are they included?
The first part of your question is easy: although these forms appear in either the Factory Inventories or Sales Journals, they are not presently known to have been depicted by Stickley in catalogs or advertisements that allow us, with any confidence, to know precisely what they looked like.  That they are included attempts to correct some misunderstandings in the field that have resulted from a reliance solely on the catalogs as the source of information.  For instance, if I look only at the 1901 Retail Plates and the New Furniture Catalog I can draw the conclusion (reasonably but erroneously it turns out) that Stickley's move into the Arts and Crafts aesthetic was both quick and complete.  The sales and inventory data paint a much different picture, one in which the transformation was a bit more gradual and helps us better understand Stickley's manufacturing, his aesethetics, and his business practices. 

I've noticed an error or omission.  What do I do?
Although I endeavor to move towards perfection, with more than 1500 entries and frequent updates there are bound to be inconsistencies and typos that I have not discovered or rectified.  If you notice an error, please send an email to info@stickleyproject.com with the subject line "error noted" and I will rectify it as soon as possible.  

Why aren't the 1907 Retail Plates included?
They are, but because the data that accompanies them is more important than the images (many of which appeared in The Craftsman), I have listed them under the Descriptive List of Craftsman Furniture.  This is great little catalog that has none of the illustrations but instead lists each of the plates, all of the forms in each plate, as well as the dimensions and price.