Charles Rohlfs

At the turn of the 20th century Buffalo was one of the largest cities in the country and home to many successful businessmen. Men, such as Seymour Knox and Charles and Frank Goodyear, married strong, intelligent women who were active in local charities, served on boards of non-profits, and raised funds for Children’s Hospital, Red Cross, and other charitable organizations. But as respected and accomplished as these women were (Mrs. Stephen Clement was a classically trained pianist), they were not considered half of a power couple. However, there was a husband and wife in Buffalo at that time who today we would consider a power couple.

In 1884, Anna Katharine Green, 39 years old and a distinguished author of several novels including the best seller The Leavenworth Case, and Charles Rohlfs, a 31-year-old actor, desired to be married. However, Anna’s father, attorney James Wilson Green, would not have it. Even though Anna was a successful author, financially independent and 39 years old, the marriage was not to be unless Charles quit the theater and took up an occupation approved by James Wilson Green. So, the actor Charles Rohlfs became stove designer and cabinet maker Charles Rohlfs. The wedding then took place November 25, 1884 at the South Congregational Church, in Brooklyn New York with Rev. Dr. Lyman officiating. The guests included many who were prominent in literary and artistic circles, as well as judges, attorneys, and doctors.

Anna Katherine Green, who always referred to herself as Mrs. Rohlfs in her personal life, continued with her writing career after their marriage, published 39 novels and became known as the Mother of the Detective Novel. Her first successful novel, The Leavenworth Case, was made into a movie and Yale Law School once used her books to demonstrate how damaging it can be to rely on circumstantial evidence.

The Leavenworth Case even sparked a debate in the Pennsylvania State Senate over whether the book could really have been written by a woman, stating “the story was manifestly beyond a woman’s powers.”

By 1890 the couple were living in Buffalo NY with their two children, Rosamond and Sterling, soon to be joined by a third child, Roland. When they moved to Buffalo Charles could not find furniture to his liking, so he started creating his own. The family home at 105 Norwood was filled to the brim with his creations. Neighbors and guests started asking him to create furniture for them, and so his furniture designing career began, often in collaboration with his wife, Anna. He would go on to become a leader in modernist design right along with Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley. Although his furniture related to the simple form typical of the Arts and Crafts movement, Rohlfs saw himself as an artist and he preferred the terms "artistic furniture" or "the Rohlfs style," to differentiate his work from the mainstream Arts and Crafts movement.

The exhibition of his furniture at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901 led to international recognition, which resulted in an invitation to the 1902 Exposition of International Design in Turin, Italy, where he was the only American woodworker to be featured. The success at Turin led to him being inducted into the Royal Society of Arts in London. A set of Rohlfs designed chairs are in Buckingham Palace today.

Charles Rohlfs career as a furniture designer was short-lived, however, and within ten years of living in Buffalo he had turned his energies to civic matters, including being elected as president of Central Council Businessmen’s Association and President of the Chamber of Commerce. He was often a featured speaker at political, social, and school events in the city.

Today many of Rohlfs pieces are in museums like the Strong Memorial Museum of Rochester or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Also by Cheryl McDonald:

Fanny Goodyear: The Buffalo Princess

Buffalo's Elite 54