Roycroft Shops

American, 1895–1938

PlaceEast Aurora, New York, United States

Biographyhttp://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/COL0254.htm

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Founded by Elbert Hubbard in 1895, the Roycroft Shops combined the ideals of William Morris with the techniques of capitalism. The business developed out of the growth of the craftsman movement in America that was in part promoted by Hubbard through his Roycroft Press. Those who worked for Hubbard were known as the Roycrofters. By 1900, the Roycroft Shops were successfully marketing handcrafted items, including carpets, sculpture, and mission style furniture, in addition to publishing two periodicals, The Fra and The Philistine. Despite the popularity of their style, these products were eventually eclipsed by Gustav Stickley's highly promoted products and by mass-produced goods in Grand Rapids, Michigan. By 1910, Hubbard found himself promoting smaller, more portable items, producing a full line of hand-wrought copper and leather goods. A 1914 Roycroft catalog listed merchandise in stylized Art Nouveau with everything from lamps to textiles and table decorations.

Hubbard and his wife, Alice, died in the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915. His son, Elbert (Bert) Hubbard, II, continued the enterprise. The Roycroft Shops were unable to withstand the Great Depression and were forced to close in 1938.

Person TypeCorporate Body