‘Mission’ or ‘Arts and Crafts’ furniture was popular around the turn of the twentieth century. The Arts and Crafts movement was fueled by the belief that houses should be furnished in a simpler, more honest way. It was a straightforward, functional style, very different from the fussy Victorian furniture of the preceding century. The “mission” of the Stickley Brothers was to produce hand-crafted, sturdy furniture. Craftsman furniture is usually made of quarter-sawn white oak, and clear dye stains enhance the natural grain. Each piece of furniture was stamped with the Stickley mark to distinguish the Stickley Craftsman Workshop furniture from that of their competitors. The stamp on Blithewold’s furniture was only used between 1910 and 1912.