New Craftsman Piano

Craftsman Workshops / Everett Piano Company

1909-13 (ca.)

55 x 62 1/2 x 29 inches

Oak, inlaid metals

L2022.21.6

Claudia Walter, Loretta Foss, Michael Fiore, and Marisa Fiore-Kelley.

Impressed “665” on back right hand side at top; internal component stamped “37270” at upper left when the lid is open.

Introduced in 1909, the New Craftsman Piano was amongst the most expensive pieces that Stickley manufactured, retailing for $450. It was the second piano that Stickley offered and is distinguished from its predecessor by a number of features. First, this model featured three pedals at the base of the piano, rather than two. Second, the music rack is integral to the case instead of an applied detail as in the earlier model. Lastly, although the inlay is basically the same motif, the treatment in the New Craftsman Piano is broader in the wood that surrounds the floral metal element. Although a terminal date for the manufacture of the piano has not been found, Stickley must have made these up through 1913 as the same inlaid panels appear on the sideboard he designed for the Craftsman Restaurant, which opened that year (see fig. 2).