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Although the first piece of wicker furniture in America came over on the Mayflower, the American wicker furniture industry really dates from the early 1850s, when a young grocer named Cyrus Wakefield discovered large quantities of rattan on the docks of Boston. On ships that had been to Asia, the vines were used to keep cargo from shifting on the long voyage home. The properties and possibilities of the strange foreign material fascinated Mr. Wakefield. He sold his grocery store and started the Wakefield Rattan Company in South Reading, Massachusetts. The product proved so popular that Wakefield was soon importing his own clipper ships full of rattan, which was in great demand by basket and furniture makers. Wakefield then started making his own wicker furniture; he is known today as the father of the industry.
The Wakefield Rattan Company grew tremendously during the 1860s and virtually cornered the market on wicker furniture. Wakefield became a rich man; after his death in 1873, the town of South Reading renamed itself Wakefield in appreciation for all the jobs he created and the money he donated to the town.
Some time after the Civil War, the Heywood Brothers Company, the largest wood chair manufacturer in the United States, began using rattan in the making of their chairs. An inventor employed by this company invented a loom to weave the cane and a way to install the cane seats so that they did not have to be hand woven. Automation reduced the cost of making wicker furniture dramatically. Before long, the Heywood Brothers Company and the Wakefield Rattan Company were fierce competitors.
Although the competition between the two major companies was keen during the 1870s and 1880s, it was the general wicker-buying public who ultimately benefited -- improved designs and lower prices were the end result of this famous intra-industry rivalry. Yet, surprisingly, in April, 1897 the two titans decided to merge and formed the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, a consolidation which all but monopolized the quality wicker furniture industry from the turn of the century through the 1920s.
Early in the 20th century, as public taste veered toward straighter lines and more simple designs in furniture, Victorian wicker began to be considered too ornate. About 1910, the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company started designing wicker in the popular Mission style, which is back in fashion today. But in 1917, Marshal B. Lloyd invented a machine that wove man-made fiber out of chemically treated twisted paper, which could then be transferred directly from his patented "Lloyd loom" and fitted directly onto frames. Using synthetic material lowered the cost of production substantially, and the plainer designs that Lloyd used caught on quickly.
Recognizing the popularity of Lloyd's innovations, the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company bought the Lloyd Manufacturing Company in 1921 and simplified the company name to the Heywood-Wakefield Company. Unfortunately, synthetic machine-woven wicker lost its appeal in the 1930s. The Heywood-Wakefield Company was forced to switch to wood and metal chairs. In 1979, the company stopped making furniture all together.
Wicker had resurgence in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, however, and wicker furniture became a common sight in American homes once again. With the emerging popularity of the furniture of earlier time periods, many people wanted to recapture the actual designs of those time periods.
Early History of Wicker Furniture in America
Although the first piece of wicker furniture in America came over on the Mayflower, the American wicker furniture industry really dates from the early 1850s, when a young grocer named Cyrus Wakefield discovered large quantities of rattan on the docks of Boston. On ships that had been to Asia, the vines were used to keep cargo from shifting on the long voyage home. The properties and possibilities of the strange foreign material fascinated Mr. Wakefield. He sold his grocery store and started the Wakefield Rattan Company in South Reading, Massachusetts. The product proved so popular that Wakefield was soon importing his own clipper ships full of rattan, which was in great demand by basket and furniture makers. Wakefield then started making his own wicker furniture; he is known today as the father of the industry.The Wakefield Rattan Company grew tremendously during the 1860s and virtually cornered the market on wicker furniture. Wakefield became a rich man; after his death in 1873, the town of South Reading renamed itself Wakefield in appreciation for all the jobs he created and the money he donated to the town.Some time after the Civil War, the Heywood Brothers Company, the largest wood chair manufacturer in the United States, began using rattan in the making of their chairs. An inventor employed by this company invented a loom to weave the cane and a way to install the cane seats so that they did not have to be hand woven. Automation reduced the cost of making wicker furniture dramatically. Before long, the Heywood Brothers Company and the Wakefield Rattan Company were fierce competitors.Although the competition between the two major companies was keen during the 1870s and 1880s, it was the general wicker-buying public who ultimately benefited -- improved designs and lower prices were the end result of this famous intra-industry rivalry. Yet, surprisingly, in April, 1897 the two titans decided to merge and formed the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, a consolidation which all but monopolized the quality wicker furniture industry from the turn of the century through the 1920s.
Early in the 20th century, as public taste veered toward straighter lines and more simple designs in furniture, Victorian wicker began to be considered too ornate. About 1910, the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company started designing wicker in the popular Mission style, which is back in fashion today. But in 1917, Marshal B. Lloyd invented a machine that wove man-made fiber out of chemically treated twisted paper, which could then be transferred directly from his patented "Lloyd loom" and fitted directly onto frames. Using synthetic material lowered the cost of production substantially, and the plainer designs that Lloyd used caught on quickly.
Recognizing the popularity of Lloyd's innovations, the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company bought the Lloyd Manufacturing Company in 1921 and simplified the company name to the Heywood-Wakefield Company. Unfortunately, synthetic machine-woven wicker lost its appeal in the 1930s. The Heywood-Wakefield Company was forced to switch to wood and metal chairs. In 1979, the company stopped making furniture all together.Wicker had resurgence in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, however, and wicker furniture became a common sight in American homes once again. With the emerging popularity of the furniture of earlier time periods, many people wanted to recapture the actual designs of those time periods.
