Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, pt 1

Vase with Irises, Newcomb Pottery, 1909; the Arts and Crafts Movement flourished in Europe and North America between about 1880 and 1920; it heavily influenced the Art Nouveau period that followed

Peacock, Gladding, McBean and Co, 1928; the peacock, with its majestic stature and brilliant, eye-catching feathers, was a rich design source for the Arts and Crafts Movement; this 65-piece tile mural was designed for the exterior of a Beverly Hills home

Ship Mantel Facing, Grueby Faience Co., 1903; this impressively scaled fireplace was on the main floor of the First National Bank in Auburn, Maine; I was impressed by the information provided on the history of each work in the collection

Vase with Peacock, Frederick and Agnes Rhead, 1910; the peacock, a symbol usually identified with the concurrent Art Nouveau and Aesthetic Movements, was quickly adopted by Arts and Crafts artists

Stein, Model No. C-2, Karl Kipp, 1910; one of only four known examples of this form, this stein was the first item featured in the Roycrofters' 1910 catalog and remains one of the most important products of their copper shop under Kipp's leadership

Lanterns, Gustav Stickley, 1910; Stickley was a furniture manufacturer, design leader and a leading voice in the Arts and Crafts movement with the publication of The Craftsman magazine beginning in 1901

Three Pendant Lights, Lillian Palmer, 1915; Palmer created a metal working studio in the basement of her San Francisco home from which she started making light fixtures; together with her long-time partner, she even designed several homes

The Iris Bathroom was installed in 1914 at a home in Bratenahl, OH with almost 1200 matte-glazed tiles and with every element being custom made; in 2004 the home's owners opted to redo the bathroom and the museum was able to purchase it in its entirety

Armchair, Charles Rohlfs, 1901; Rohlfs may have been very successful with his creatively-designed furniture but this chair couldn't possibly be comfortable; maybe it appealed to people who didn't want guests

Poppy Windows, Winton House, Wausau, WI, 1905; Maher achieved subtle nuances in color and dimensional effects by incorporating different types of glass, including clear crackle for leaves, opaque white for flowers, and granite-textured for buds

High Back Chair, Browne's Bookstore, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1907; Wright was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as 'the greatest American architect of all time;' in 2019, a selection of his work became a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Pendant Lamp, National Farmers' Bank, Owatonna, MN, Louis H. Sullivan, 1908; Sullivan, a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, has been called a 'father of skyscrapers' and 'father of modernism' and the phrase 'form follows function' is attributed to him

Culbertson House Entry Hall, Pasadena CA, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, 1907; Chicago-based lumber magnate James A. Culbertson commissioned the Greene's to design his winter home; this room is considered some of the Greene's best work

Apple Blossoms and Pink Moon, Childe Hassam, c. 1884; this work by one of my favorite artists was featured in the Collector's Gallery which showcased the pieces most admired by the Museum's founder, Rudy Ciccarello

Light Fixture from Robert R. Blacker House, Pasadena CA, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, 1909; artisans tackled the challenge of dealing with the introduction of electricity with innovative design to shield eyes from glaring bulbs

Vase with Freesias, Newcomb Pottery, 1908; famous residents of St. Petersburg include Elie Wiesel, Jack Kerouac, Charlie Crist, Angela Bassett, Dwight Gooden, Dennis Lehane, Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia), and Danielle Collins

Acorn Table Lamp, Tiffany Studios, 1906; the tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement – simplicity in design, honesty in materials, hand craftsmanship, and depicting the natural world – are still widely valued today

Oil Lamp, Grueby Faience Co and Gorham Manufacturing Co, 1904; American Craftsman or Craftsman style are often used to denote the style of architecture, interior design, and decorative arts that prevailed between Art Nouveau and Art Deco

Windmill Lamp, Charles P. Limbert Co., 1910; I can picture most of the items on display at the museum being featured on Antiques Roadshow after someone paid a couple of dollars for the piece only to discover that it's worth thousands

Urn from the Edward C. Waller House in River Forest, IL, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1899; displeased by the decorative objects on the market, Wright began designing his own furnishings; the museum would be fascinating for antiquers

Lantern, Samuel Yellin, 1925; the foremost ironsmith of the 20th century, Yellin was born in Ukraine and began his apprenticeship in Russia at the age of 7; the firm he founded after immigrating to the US had 1200+ commissions and employed 250 workers

Vase with Irises, Newcomb Pottery, 1902; established at the women's college of Tulane University, Newcomb Pottery offered ideal opportunities for women seeking careers; each Newcomb piece was signed allowing individual artists to be recognized