| History of the American Rattan and Wicker Industry by Staff Writer When we hear the words Wicker and Rattan furniture we think of an outdoor style factory in some far away land in Asian and the South Pacific bending cane and weaving wicker into furniture. Today that scene is close to the truth but the wicker and rattan furniture industry did not start that way. Actually the Wicker and Rattan furniture commercial industry started right here in America and not in Asia as many of us would naturally assume. This industry started in the 1840's by a grocer by the name of Cyrus Wakefield. Wakefield, 33 years old was visiting the Boston Wharf and saw a large bundle of cane; the natural vine product before it is bent and made into furniture. He saw that the cane was flexible and he took it home thinking that he might be able to create a chair out of it. It should be noted that the natural cane was used by ships as dunnage to hold freight together coming in from Asia. This raw cane was then discarded and left on the docks. Wakefield was not a furniture maker by trade but he still bent the rattan to produce a chair. He saw the infinitie potential of the material and quit his grocer job to pursue the rattan and cane idea full time.. To start his business Wakefield traded the raw rattan to basket makers and furniture manufacturers. The manufacturers used just the outer cane to weave chair seats and backs. In 1855, Wakefield and his wife left Boston and moved to South Reading, Massachusetts. There he established the Wakefield Rattan Company. He continued to sell the imported rattan throughout the United States and he continued to experiment with wicker furniture. Bending oak or hickory into flowing shapes, the frames were filled with ornate rattan patterns and wrapped with split cane. Wakefield realized the reed or inner pith of the whole rattan plant had tremendous flexibility, enabling him to create ornate, Victorian designs. Throughout the 1860's the Wakefield Rattan Company cornered the market on the wicker furniture industry. From 1865-1880, the majority of wicker furniture was made for indoor use, although it was becoming fashionable as garden and porch furniture. A businessman and investor, Wakefield's generosity also matched his success. He would donate both the money and the land for construction of the South Reading town hall and in 1868, the citizens of South Reading voted to rename their town Wakefield in his honor. Wakefield Rattan Company had fierce competition from another furniture maker, Heywood Brothers Company of Gardner, Massachusetts. Their rivalry from the 1870's through the late 1890's would mark the period known as The Golden Age of Wicker, as both furniture designers created increasingly exotic and elaborate wicker pieces. Their originality and craftsmanship were unparalleled.
In 1897 the Wakefield Rattan Co. merged with the firm of Heywood Bros. and for the next two decades this newly formed company all but monopolized sales of quality wicker furniture. As the 1900's progressed, Victorian and Art-Nouveau designs were considered increasingly gauche. Angular European designs began to curry favor and the Arts and Crafts movement took hold. The Gustav Stickley Company of Eastwood, New York began creating no-nonsense Mission-style furniture in oak and willow. In response to this new trend, the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company began to produce similar designs in 1905, but with added features such as built-in footrests and magazine holders. By the 1920's there was a marked increase in the number of wicker items available. Besides settees, rockers, dining sets and occasional tables, items included phonograph stands, tea carts, smoking stands, floor and table lamps, planters, blanket chests, china cabinets, baby buggies, desks and sewing cabinets. Like so many other industries the costs of labor has forced Tropical Rattan and Wicker companies to produce their furniture overseas in places like China, the Philippines, and Indonesia. But, Wakefield's early designs still form the basic framework of ideas used in today's Rattan and Wicker furniture. Home of Tropical Rattan and Wicker Did you know?
* Conversation chairs (an S-shaped wicker sofa) allowed 19th century courting couples to sit face-to-face without touching. * The airier look of wicker at the turn of the 20th century was largely due to rising costs in labor and increases in tariffs on imported rattan. This economical style of open weaving is most often found on chaise lounges and armchairs, designed for use by hotels. Manufacturers named these products after well-known resort areas, including Bar Harbor, Southampton and Newport. Today, open weave wicker of this period is usually referred to as Bar Harbor. |
