What’s the Deal with Wicker?

When I think of wicker, I think of uncomfortable chairs, painted white and perched on patios, porches, and sunrooms. My childhood is littered with memories of sitting on wicker chairs at family gatherings only to stand with distinctive red marks crosshatched on the backs of my legs. Like, who thought this was a good idea? Well, it’s time to figure out with whom I should take up my grievances.

Let’s start with a definition. Wickerwork refers to flexible shoots or rods woven to create forms and encompasses rattan and caning.

While most associate wicker with Victorian styles, it was used as early as 3000 BCE by the Egyptians who used reeds and rushes to construct an assortment of functional items. As per usual, the copycat Romans used wicker to construct armless tub-chairs with round seats. Because of the inherent vices of wicker, many pieces haven’t survived past the 17th century and we only have records of wickerwork from its appearance in artwork and written descriptions.

Before the 19th century, willow twigs were ordinarily used in wickerwork. But as with most things that were popular in the Western World, wickerwork is a classic British colonization story. Rattan was introduced to the Western world when the British colonized the Malayan Peninsula and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Rattan was strong and easy to manipulate into extravagant curves and shapes and got bonus points for being inexpensive. Traditionally in South East Asia, rattan was used for finer quality pieces, but it was imported to Europe where it was plaited into cane webbing for chair seats and backs. These pieces were light and versatile, and as you know from your grandmother’s front porch, suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Also, Europeans were super into “the exotic” at this point.

Wickerwork grew in popularity in Europe and then crossed the Atlantic in the 19th century. Wicker went viral after a New York maker displayed a wicker chair at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 (if you’re thinking “Crystal Palace” you’re right on track). This maker’s name was “Mr. Topf” and I’ve decided to lay my blame on him.

After that, everyone wanted in on wicker and a number of firms began advertising upholstered chairs and sofas, small tables, and a variety of plant stands and other small items under the names “cane,” willow,” and “rattan.” Industrialized production of Wicker began in the US in the mid-19th century at the Wakefield Rattan Company which subsequently became Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Co. and operated out of New York until the 1930s. Wicker reached the height of its popularity in the 1880s and 1890s.  The trajectory of modern wicker includes experimentation with new materials, such as prairie grass, and has seen varying levels of success.

Learning more about this ancient medium, I have gained an appreciation for the skill and innovation behind it. However, I will still be requesting a cushion.

From the desk of Lindsey Owen

References

Boyce, Charles, Dictionary of Furniture. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1985.

Fleming, John and Hugh Honour, The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. New York: Viking Press, 1989.

Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture. New York: Harper & Row, 1993.

https://issuu.com/brunomanuelalbano/docs/the_20art_20journal_20illustrated_2