The Stickley Brothers were primarily a furniture shop which opened in 1884 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Around 1904, they began to make a large line of copper and brass utilitarian objects and lamps to go alongside their furniture line. They were very open about these being of “Russian” creation in their period ads, suggesting they employed Russian immigrants trained in the skill. Most of these items are marked with a stylized model number on the base, many of which line up with the numbers found in their period catalogs.
Copperwork Catalogue B:
“In presenting this small catalogue of hand-beaten copper, we offer what we believe to be the choicest assortment of designs to be found on this side of the Atlantic. A large majority of the patterns shown herewithin are reproductions of the best importations, yet many are reproductions of early Colonials and other antiques.
The workmanship is the best that can be produced by the skilled copper beaters employed in our shops. An experience of many years at teh same trade augmented by the teachings of their fathers and the acquired knowledge of their ancestors – all copper workers for generations past, has given these craftsman an individuality which is apparent in each piece which comes from their hands. Every article is carefully inspected by a competent foreman, under whose direction the copper work is wrought.
The standard finishes are “antique copper” – a rich brown hue, giving the color and appearance of age – and “natural copper” – a natural oxidation. The raw copper exposed to the atmosphere for a number of years, results in a chemical combination which produces the rich, rare, brownish hue to be found in genuine antiques. This “natural copper” is produced by artificially hastening the process of nature.”