Roycroft was the name given to a reformist community of crafters and artisans founded by Elbert Hubbard (pictured) in East Aurora, New York in 1894. The Roycrofters, as members of the community were called, consisted of some of the most skilled bookbinders, furniture makers and metal workers of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, including Karl Kipp, Frederick Kranz and William Wallace Denslow.
Elbert Hubbard was a successful salesman and part owner of Buffalo, NY-based Larkin Soap Company. Although the company had made him quite wealthy, Hubbard eventually lost interest in the soap industry, sold his share in the company and retired to East Aurora.
A man of many interests, Hubbard became infatuated with the polymathic ideals of the British Arts & Crafts movement and traveled to England to meet the pioneer of the movement, William Morris. Rebelling against the dehumanizing effects of the industrial age, Arts & Crafts designers like Morris championed handcraftsmanship and the integration of the arts in a decorative environment. Hubbard was so inspired by his visit that upon his return to East Aurora he founded a private printing shop to publish a magazine he dubbed The Philistine, which extolled the virtues of Arts & Crafts ideals. The Philistine became wildly popular, leading to the establishment of a nearby book bindery. A leather shop, metalsmith and furniture shop soon followed, each one bringing still more artisans and their families into the folds of the growing Roycroft community.
Auction Results Roycroft
Roycroft
Table lamp, model 905
estimate: $7,500–10,000
result: $17,500
Roycroft
rare cabinet, model 55
estimate: $4,000–6,000
result: $16,250
Roycroft
table lamp
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $11,875
Roycroft
rare cabinet, model 7
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $11,875
Roycroft
Morris chair, model 43
estimate: $4,000–5,000
result: $10,000
Roycroft
rare cabinet, model 63
estimate: $3,000–4,000
result: $10,000
Roycroft
Rare sideboard
estimate: $3,000–5,000
result: $8,125
Roycroft
rare Old Willow Stump bookends, pair
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $7,500
Roycroft
vases, set of four
estimate: $3,500–4,500
result: $7,500
Roycroft
Ali Baba bench from the Roycroft Inn, model 46
estimate: $3,000–4,000
result: $6,875
Roycroft
rare easel
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $5,000
Roycroft
rare drop-front desk, model 92
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $3,750
Roycroft
Three-footed jardinière
estimate: $3,000–4,000
result: $3,500
Roycroft
bracelets, set of five
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $3,072
Roycroft
Table lamp
estimate: $1,500–2,000
result: $2,875
Roycroft
Table lamp
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $2,875
Roycroft
hall chair, model 31
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $2,750
Roycroft
Tall American Beauty vase
estimate: $1,500–2,000
result: $2,375
Roycroft
Table lamp
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $2,125
Karl Kipp and Roycroft
assorted jewelry
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $1,820
Roycroft
Vase
estimate: $1,250–1,750
result: $1,750
Roycroft
Ten pairs of bookends
estimate: $1,250–1,750
result: $1,625
Roycroft
collection of four works
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $1,250
Roycroft
collection of ten works
estimate: $750–1,000
result: $1,125