Speaking of Type...Elbert Hubbart

By Marjorie Crum

Do you know who had the greatest influence on American taste in regard to the Arts and Crafts movement?

Most Americans learned of William Morris’ work as it was interpreted by Elbert Hubbard and the Roycroft establishment.

Elbert Hubbard founded the Roycroft Shop and its Roycroft Press in East Aurora, New York, after a visit to the Kelmscott Press in England in 1894. Morris’ daughter May called Hubbard an imitator of her father and felt Hubbard’s work in America was inferior to her father work and legacy. Elbert Hubbard’s workshop in Aurora, New York included an art school, a furniture craft factory, a smithy, other small craft operations, and the Roycroft Press. Hubbard was immensely successful and his furniture and decorative objects, including the Roycroft Press books, were found in homes throughout America before World War II.

Beginning in 1895 Hubbard issued monthly the famous “Little Journey” booklets. These biographical essays on famous persons, included facts interwoven with comment and satire. Hubbard also published The Philistine, an avant-garde magazine, which he ultimately wrote single-handedly, and in 1908, Hubbard began to edit and publish a second monthly, The Fra.

It all changed when Elbert and his wife, Alice, were among the fatalities onboard the Lusitania. the ocean liner that sank off the coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. The Hubbards had been traveling to England to begin a lecture tour when they died. The Roycroft Community’s leadership then fell to Elbert’s son, Bert. Though Bert took the Roycrofters to wider sales distribution, the changing American tastes led to slowly declining sales figures. Finally, in 1938 the Roycrofters closed shop.

Today, items that were produced by the Roycrofters are highly sought after by collectors. In addition to the collectabilty of the items, examples of Roycroft bookbinding, metalsmithing, and furniture-making are sought simply because of their inherent beauty and craftsmanship.

Posted by newyorkupstate in Design Education | February 2, 2010