Wicker furniture popular from ancient Egypt until now

Wicker furniture has been used since the ancient Egyptians, but most of today’s collectors are buying pieces made in the 1800s and 1900s.

In the early 1830s, a Boston grocer named Cyrus Wakefield was watching ships unpacking cargo. Bundles of rattan wrapping were discarded. He thought it might be suitable as a material for furniture, especially chair seats. After experimenting, he developed braided wicker furniture and even had ships import more cane and rattan. His Wakefield Rattan Co. was founded in 1855.

Heywood Brothers, founded in 1861 by Levi Heywood, was the largest chair company in the United States by 1870. The company began making wicker furniture in 1875 using rattan bought from Wakefield. The two companies merged in 1897.

Many styles of wicker furniture were made, including Victorian, Arts and Crafts, and Art Deco. Plant stands, easels, fishbowl-planters, shelves, baby carriages, wheelchairs, cribs and even lamps and lampshades were made. The wicker was shellacked, stained or painted.

Today, collectors pay the highest prices for wicker with elaborate curves and intricate designs. They also favor the unusual.
Clifton Indian ware