Stickley, Gustav, Scheme for a Fireplace, 1904

In 1904, Stickley visited the German exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and was deeply moved by the interiors and furnishings that he saw on display. A few months later, he published a review of the exhibit in The Craftsman, in which he praised the work of Austrian architect Joseph Maria Olbrich. His review included this illustration of Olbrich’s design for a fireplace. The caption to the image reads: “Scheme for a fireplace: the copper hood adapted from a design of Professor J. M. Olbrich, shown in the German section, varied industries building, St. Louis.”

Gustav Stickley, “Scheme for a Fireplace,” in “Thoughts Occasioned by an Anniversary: A Plea for Democratic Art,” The Craftsman, vol. VII, no. 1 (October 1904), p. 44. Source: Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture, University of Wisconsin.