Roycroft

Rare Roycroft Bicentennial Commemorative Oak Walking Stick (July 4, 1976

Rare Roycroft Bicentennial Commemorative Oak Walking Stick (July 4, 1976). Signed. Excellent condition. 35" long. This walking stick commerates the formation of the Roycroft Renaissance. Formed in East Aurora, New York, to revive the philosophy of Elbert Hubbard after the Great Depression forced the original campus closure, the Roycrofters-at-Large Association (RALA) launched officially in 1976. This walking stick was produced as part of that historic launch, specifically carved and stamped on July 4, 1976, to celebrate the United States Bicentennial. his piece is highly tied to the influence of celebrated Western New York artist and master woodcarver Rixford "Rix" Upham Jennings (1906–1996). As the son of original Roycroft master craftsman Walter Upham Jennings, Rixford grew up immersed in the campus's early 20th-century metalworking and bookbinding traditions. In 1976, Jennings became a founding mastermind behind RALA, helping spearhead the entire mid-70s artisan revival. While Jennings famously designed the new "Roycroft Renaissance" trademark (featuring back-to-back "RR" letters) to differentiate new craftsmanship from antique wares, this specific commemorative stick utilizes the classic, single-"R" orb-and-cross symbol stamped alongside the exact date "July 4, 1976". This deliberate styling captures the precise visual transition point when Jennings and his fellow historians first breathed new life into the historic East Aurora movement.