New Perspectives on the Workshop of Gustave Stickley

McKinley Armchair

David Wolcott Kendall (des.) for Phoenix Furniture Company

1894-96

In many ways, David Wolcott Kendall's career and varied interests served as a template for Stickley's development as a manufacturer, especially when he bought out partner Elgin Simonds in 1898. The transition away from revival styles and embrace of Gothic forms, a more structural approach to furniture making, and especially the development of novel finishes for oak and ash are all elements of Kendall's career that predate Stickley's own rise. Often referred to as "The Dean of American Furniture Designers," Kendall's impact on the development of the Grand Rapids furniture industry is difficult to overstate.