Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ARTS AND CRAFTS ARCHITECTURE
ARTS AND CRAFTS ARCHITECTURE. Arts and crafts style was developed in reaction to proceeding styles of life and building. Leaders of the movement believed that people were involved in dangerous and unhealthy jobs requiring repetitive tasks that offered no sense of satisfaction. Mass production led to quantity while sacrificing good design and quality construction. The Victorian lifestyle was all about showing off how much money a person had and filling houses with objects to show that they could afford to spend their money on non-essentials.
The principles of Arts and Crafts tried to reverse these trends as early as the 1840s, and the movement's popularity had peaked by 1910. The ideals have never been forgotten. They've evolved and been incorporated into new ideas. Oddly some of the developments like Mission furniture have now become expensive.