Wicker Furniture: Born in the U.S.A.

by: Judy Penz Sheluk

Three piece Bar Harbor parlor set, ca. 1920's, $3,850. Photo courtesy of Peter & Susan Tanzini, Dovetail Antique www.dovetailantiquewicker.com

As seen in The Antique Shoppe Newspaper, June, 2005           

Although the origins of wicker can be traced back to 4000 B.C. Egypt, the oldest known piece of American wickerwork came aboard the Mayflower in 1620. Folk lore has this wicker cradle being used to rock Peregrine White on the journey to the New World.

In the 17th and early 18th century, trading of rattan was primarily between China and England. The outer cane was used to weave the backs and seats of wooden chairs, with the center reed treated as waste. Although early examples of this technique were wide and bulky, by the end of the 17th century fine cane chair seats were being crafted in England and France.

In spite of its origins, wicker furniture as an industry was created on American soil and not in the Orient. While the rattan palm grows wild in the jungles of the Far East, an abundance of Oriental imported wicker furniture is of poor quality. Much of the wicker is made from willow, sea grass, prairie grass and man-made fiber, although wicker furniture woven from rattan and reed is far superior.

The American production of wicker furniture began in the 1840's, after the Chinese had opened a number of treaty ports to foreign trade. Clipper ships would leave China bound for America with a variety of goods, from expensive silks to fine porcelain. Whole rattan was used as dunnage to secure the cargo and prevent shifting and would later be left at the docks. One day in 1844, 33-year-old Cyrus Wakefield, a grocer by trade, collected an armful of rattan which had been discarded at Constitution Wharf in Boston. Intrigued by its flexibility, Wakefield took the rattan home and wrapped a provincial-style chair. While not a furniture maker, Wakefield immediately saw the potential and quit his day job.

Initially, Wakefield traded rattan for resale to basket makers and furniture manufacturers, who used only the outer canes to weave chair seats and backs. In 1855, Wakefield and his wife left Boston and moved to South Reading, Massachusetts, where 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. Technology and the demand for variety in wicker would lead to its eventual downfall. By the early 1930's, wicker was being mass-produced using man-made fiber. The machines could not produce many of the unique designs created by hand and the man-made fibers could not match the beauty of natural rattan. Americans turned to the sleek, lacquered-wood and Bakelite styles of the Art Deco era and the sale of wicker plummeted.

Today, wicker made from 1870-1930 is extremely collectible and the furniture created by Wakefield Rattan and Heywood Brothers are rare and highly sought after. Peter and Susan Tanzini have operated Dovetail Antiques www.dovetailantiquewicker.com in Columbus, New Jersey since 1972. Dovetail Antiques specializes in high quality, authentic period wicker furniture, most made in the New England area by Wakefield, Heywood and other lesser known, skilled makers.

Susan Tanzini recommends that collectors avoid pieces that have been over-painted or have structural damage. Tanzini also suggests purchasing only from reputable dealers who are discriminating in what they buy and sell. "There was a substantial amount of wicker which was mass-produced that we do not consider being of investment quality," says Tanzini.  "The Golden Age of wicker combined the highest quality materials with superior craftsmanship. Those are the pieces which will provide lasting enjoyment to anyone who brings them into their home."

* 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.

* In the early 20th century, wheeled chairs for one or two were not just for invalids; 'wicker rolling chairs' were popular at upscale resorts and seaside boardwalks.

Wicker Furniture, A Guide to Restoring & Collecting by Richard Saunders (Three Rivers Press, 1990)
American Wicker, Woven Furniture from 1850 to 1930 by Jeremy Elwell Adamson (Rizzoli, 1993)

Step-by-Step Restoration Guides

The Caner's Handbook by Bruce W. Miller & Jim Widess (Sterling Publishing, 1991)
How to Buy and Restore Wicker Furniture by Thomas Duncan (Sylvan Books, 1983)