Mission style is the type of furniture design popular in the U.S. between 1890 and 1914. Mission furniture, so named because of its resemblances to the furnishings of Spanish missions in the Southwest, was an American expression of the worldwide Arts and Crafts movement . The best examples are those first produced in small workshops; in later mass manufacture, mission furniture tended to heavy, square shapes and roughness in detailing.

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"From its first success in 1900, the popularity achieved by Craftsman furniture was the signal to an army of imitators who saw in it what they considered a novelty that would prove to be a notable money maker. These manufacturers at once began to turn out large quantifies of furniture which was designed in what seemed to them the same style. But failing to comprehend my reasons for giving to Craftsmen furniture forms that were plain and almost primitive, they naturally seized upon this primitiveness as a fad which might be profitable and exaggerated it into intentional crudeness. This imitation has grown instead of decreased with the passing of time, and while in one sense it is the best evidence of the popularity and stability of the Craftsmen style, in another it creates confusion which at times is annoying. Restrained by law from the use of my registered name, "Craftsmen", these manufacturers get as near to it as they can and variously style their products "Mission", "Hand-Craft", "Arts and Crafts", "Crafts-Style", "Roycroft" and "Quaint". To add to the confusion, some of the most persistent of these imitators bear the same name as myself and what is called "Stickley Furniture" is frequently, through misrepresentation on the part of salesmen and others,sold as Craftsmen furniture or just the same thing."

-Taken form the 1910 Catalog. This is a true testament to the commutative nature Gustav Stickley and his role as leading proponent in this movement.

Gustav Stickley- Calendine Tea Table (above). Circa 1900. Early Piece showing Stickley's interest in structural style joinery and simplicity in the exposed tenon and key joints and delicate line. This is a rare piece which exemplifies the early movement towards the more mature "Mission" form.