"The Craftsman" Journal

The life so short, the craft so long to learn.

This is the first issue of The Craftsman magazine, published during the Arts and Crafts movement that took place in America from about 1900-1925. On the wondrous Internet, you can even read all of the old issues on-line.
(Click here.)

The descriptive writing style is wordy for modern attention spans, but if you're interested Arts and Crafts design, the magazine ran articles like "An Argument for Simplicity in Household Furnishings." It reminds us of a slow paced time when reading long periodical articles was recreation for most literate people.

Craftsman style bungalow in San Diego

The Craftsman magazine was started in 1901 by furniture maker Gustav Stickley, but the American craftsman style had its origins in the British Arts and Crafts movement founded on the social philosophy and artistic style of William Morris. The movement emphasized hand-made over mass-produced, and was also a reaction against the over decorated Victorian era. But the democratic idea of "ennobling" modest homes for the middle class was a unique part of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Craftsman bungalow homes like the one above are common in American cities; there are thousands in Seattle. In fact, we live in one.

Unfortunately, ours doesn't have a darling breakfast nook like this. The built-in breakfast nook was a new development of the Arts and Crafts bungalow design. Kitchens of the Victorian era were separated from daily routine, and didn't have a "proper" place for family members to sit or eat, something we take for granted now. In this new era, the middle class housewife prepared the meals, so the kitchen was a place to gather and became the heart of the family's daily life.

Arts and crafts objects were useful and simple in form. They often had designs and patterns reflecting nature, like this lamp.

And warm, earth-colored glazes on ceramics and tiles that complimented the dark mission style furniture.
William Morris designed beautiful tapestries, wallpapers and textiles which are still widely reproduced:

And if that wasn't enough artistic genius, he was also a prolific writer of essays, fiction and poetry.

I know a little garden close,
Set thick with lilies and red roses.
Where I would wander if I might
From dewy morning to dewy night.
Wm. Morris

The William Morris Rose