John Scott Bradstreet

comprising one dining table, twelve chairs, one sideboard, one serving table, and four extension leaves (of two varying sizes) with the original storage crate
together with the original bill of sale dated April 1, 1910



 

Mrs. John Blakeley, 1210 Astor Place, Chicago, IL, 1910
Thence by descent

John S. Bradstreet & Co., advertisement, The Bellman, January 18, 1908 (subsequently published April 25, 1908; for a related Jin-di-Sugi screen)
"John Scott Bradstreet Memorial Room," Bulletin of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, January-February 1915, p. 15 (for a period photograph showing a related Japanese panel installed in the John Scott Bradstreet Memorial Room at the MIA)
Michael P. Conforti, ed., Minnesota 1900:  Art and Life on the Upper Mississippi, 1890-1915, Newark, 1994, p. 83 (for the period photograph cited above)

Bradstreet Dining Suite: Overall in very good condition. The dining suite presents beautifully in person, and the carving and jin-di-sugi surfaces are exceptionally rich and tactile. The original bill of sale (illustrated on p. 96 in the catalogue) will be presented to the successful purchaser. The original owners used this dining suite in their Japanese-inspired house on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. A real estate brochure which dates to the late 1920s when the house was sold includes a photograph showing the dining suite in situ. (We have included digital scans of this real estate brochure, as well as an additional period photograph of the dining suite.) Dining Table: Overall in very good condition. The wood surfaces appear to retain their original finish. The table appears to have been waxed in the past, as evidence by scattered traces of old wax (white residue) in the recessed contours of the carving. The wood surfaces throughout with surface scratches, abrasions marks and general wear consistent with age and use. There are scattered losses to the carved wood surfaces throughout, most prevalent along the contoured edges and high points of the carving on the legs and feet. The top is nicely worn and rubbed from past use, with a few areas of dark and light staining. Modern glass gliders are presently attached to each foot. Chairs: Overall in good condition. The wood surfaces appear to retain their original finish, and were possibly oiled or waxed in the past. The wood surfaces throughout with surface scratches, abrasions marks and general wear consistent with age and use. There are scattered losses to the carved wood surfaces throughout, most prevalent along the contoured edges and high points of the carving. One chair has a considerable loss to the bottom portion of the back splat, where the contoured frame device below the central roundel is broken off and missing (approximately 8 x 1 ¾ inches). A few of the chairs show horizontal stress fractures to the top crest rails and back splats, with evidence of prior re-gluing in some areas. On one chair, two adjacent stress fractures located at the top right corner of the crest rail and back splat show minor movement and would benefit from being stabilized with glue. The bottom stretchers on a few of the chairs have been stabilized in the past with wooden dowels or screws. There are minor color variations to the chairs, presumably from different degrees of sun exposure based on room placement. The chairs have been re-upholstered. The original webbing and seat foundation appear to be intact with a second layer of webbing and burlap for added reinforcement, and new seat covers. There are traces of what appears to be the original fabric tacked to the seat frame which has a textured weave. Sideboard: Overall in very good condition. The top surface appears to have a finish application (possibly a resin applied in the period or many years ago.) The other wood surfaces appear to retain their original finish, and were possibly oiled in the past. There is evidence of a prior wax application from scattered traces of old wax (white residue) in the recessed contours of the carving. The wood surfaces throughout with surface scratches, abrasions marks and general wear consistent with age and use. There are scattered small losses to the carved wood surfaces throughout, most prevalent along the contoured edges of the bracket feet, with more considerable losses to the bottom edges of the proper left front foot. The sliding doors reveal seven drawers on each side of the cabinet interior. The top six drawers on the proper left side of the cabinet have been altered. The bottom panels (chestnut) and the drawer fronts (cypress) are all original. However, the drawer backs and sides are replaced with oak members. The bottom drawer is totally original. The original drawer gliders on the proper left side of the cabinet were removed, and new slides were added to the sides of the cabinet. The fitted velvet interiors on the top five drawers (for storing silverware) appear to be original. There are traces of a few small wax drips on the top surface. There are small chips and losses to the inset glazed ceramic elements on the two door pulls. The carving on the doors is in excellent condition showing superb definition and color. Serving Table: Overall in very good condition. The top surface appears to have a finish application (possibly a resin application applied in the period or many years ago.) The other wood surfaces appear to retain their original finish, and were possibly oiled in the past. There is evidence of a prior wax application from scattered traces of old wax (white residue) in the recessed contours of the carving. The wood surfaces throughout with some occasional surface scratches, abrasions marks and general wear consistent with age and use. There are scattered small losses to the carved wood surfaces throughout, most prevalent on the legs and feet. The proper left front leg with a small area of minor dark staining or surface residue. There are five holes (1/2 inch diameter) drilled through the bottom of the piece. Three of the drawer pulls have small cracks and show evidence of being stabilized with glue in the past. Extension Leaves: Overall in very good condition. The four extension leaves retain their original custom-designed storage crate, which is stenciled with the name and address of a second-generation family owner. The four leaves appear to retain their original finish, and as expected are darker in color than the dining table. The wood surfaces with light surface scratches, abrasions marks and gentle wear consistent with age and occasional use.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In a 1904 review of the recently opened Minneapolis Craftshouse, the International Studio wrote, "To hit upon the unexpected always adds interest to the investigation of an undertaking; and to find that Minneapolis can boast one of the most striking and 'go-ahead' establishments for the propagation of the crafts came, we must confess, as a surprise to us—and will to many."  The proprietor of the Craftshouse of which the International Studio's reviewer wrote, was John Scott Bradstreet, a self-educated entrepreneur and self-fashioned aesthete.  Located near the commercial heart of the city, the Craftshouse offered a Utopian retreat from urban life and a self-contained model of Bradstreet's idealistic vision for the harmonious co-existence of nature, art and life.  While Bradstreet devoted his nearly forty-year career to his adopted city of Minneapolis, the development of his design sensibilities was greatly influenced by ideas he absorbed during his many travels.  Particularly impacted by the communal principles fostered by the English Arts and Crafts movement, Bradstreet was also influenced by the desire central to the Aesthetic movement to infuse beauty into every aspect of life.

Bradstreet's advocacy on behalf of the craftsman was equaled in enthusiasm perhaps only by his ardent admiration of the art of Japan.  In 1889, Bradstreet embarked on his first of many voyages to Japan.  As he explored the country's major cities and secluded interior locales, Bradstreet found fresh inspiration for new approaches to interior design, inspiration for the treatment of nature in landscape gardening, and inspiration for what would become his signature style, the Jin-di-Sugi method of woodworking.  The method of woodworking provided a means of introducing nature into interiors both through the use of rich wood as well as through the images of natural subjects that were often crafted from the panels.  To effectively incorporate variations of the Japanese carving technique into his own designs, Bradstreet found it necessary to identify a wood that was both available in its raw state in America and also capable of being artificially degraded in a short amount of time.  The most successful results were achieved with cypress, which when treated yielded a raised hard grain from which decorative images could be coaxed.  In the only known interview to have been conducted with one of Bradstreet's craftsmen, William Eckert described a process in which the planks were first singed and then rubbed with wire bristles to work the charred soft fibers loose.  Eckert noted that after the raised pattern of the hard fibers had been revealed, the panel was cleaned and waxed, achieving a soft surface.  Creating luxurious products attentive to the nature of material, the skilled hand of the craftsman, and the merging of cultures, the Jin-di-Sugi line of woodworking is arguably Bradstreet's most significant contribution to American design reform.

In a promotional booklet produced for the Craftshouse in 1905, a "drift wood" method of treating wood is referenced as being "in general demand.  New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other eastern cities come to Minneapolis for this distinctive and beautiful work adapted from the Japanese."  The dining suite offered here is one such order, placed by Mrs. John Blakeley of Chicago.  Due to the original bill of sale that has been retained, the date of execution for the dining table, two of the four extension leaves, ten of the twelve chairs, and the sideboard can be established precisely as 1910.  The serving table, two additional chairs, and two additional leaves were ordered shortly thereafter, most likely that same year as evidenced by the date of 1910 stenciled on the serving table. 

As commonly found in Jin-di-Sugi pieces, the designs have a pronounced Japanese flavor— birds with spread wings adorn the dining chairs, vegetal forms reminiscent of lotus pads cover the corners of the dining and serving tables, and two large panels bearing designs of bamboo shoots against the sun and arrow lilies against gently curling waves decorate the sideboard.  The designs of the panels on the sideboard are closely based upon prototypes acquired by Bradstreet in Japan.  At least one of the panels was on exhibit at the Craftshouse during his life, and both were subsequently bequeathed to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts at the time of his death.  The panel bearing bamboo shoots was utilized as a model on at least one other occasion, as is evidenced by a Jin-di-Sugi screen bearing the same motif reproduced in two 1908 advertisements in the Minneapolis cultural journal The Bellman.  While the latter of these two advertisements promotes the design services of John S. Bradstreet & Co. for the decoration of summer homes, the former (reproduced here) claims that the original panel from which the design was taken had been part of a Japanese temple frieze, from which the Boston Museum of Fine Arts also acquired pieces.  The dining suite combines a number of the most significant ideals promoted by Bradstreet at the Minneapolis Craftshouse—the melding of Japanese and western design, the support of handcraftsmanship, and the beautification of daily life through the introduction of natural materials and motifs into the home interior.

This dining suite and its original bill of sale have been remarkably preserved in the same family since its execution. Other branches of the Blakeley family resided in the Minneapolis area around the time of this commission, which likely accounted for Mrs. Blakeley's introduction to Bradstreet's firm.

Sarah Sik, Ph.D. Student, Department of Art History, University of Minnesota