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The Timeless Age of Wicker
The hot days of summer and wicker seem to go hand in hand whether it’s on a front porch or garden setting.
Contrary to some beliefs, wicker furniture didn’t get its start in somebody’s basement or in the back garden. Wicker goes back to the Victorian period when the furniture could only be seen on the front porch or veranda of the rich and famous.
During the beginning of the last century, Victorian wicker became more costly to make because it needed delicate handcrafting of each item. Also, the public’s consumption of beautifully decorated furnishings was beginning to gradually decline. Different methods were thought about modernizing the wicker furniture so that it would have greater appeal to a wider range of consumers. One of these methods was to wrap a wire with twisted paper held securely in place, which resembled a reed when weaved. It was an economical move allowing companies to make their own supply of materials necessary to produce wicker furniture. Wicker became so popular that everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon.
Since each wicker item had to be hand-woven, the workers who built the wicker furniture held their skills in very high regard. Things began to change in 1917 when workers went on strike to demand higher pay at one of the manufacturing plants in Menominee, Michigan. While the workers were on strike, Marshall B. Lloyd, the owner of the plant invested day and evening mastering the now popular “Lloyd Loom,” a device which would incorporate linens of man-made wicker on a loom – much the same as the fabric is done today. This one invention changed the wicker industry that it would never be the same again. Because of that one invention, there were no jobs waiting for the returning strikers. After Lloyd’s invention was perfected, the method would dominate the wicker industry for several decades. In 1921, the Haywood-Wakefield Company purchased the Lloyd Manufacturing Company and would continue producing the art deco-style wicker furniture for the next 10 years.
Nowadays, vintage twenties wicker patio furniture is usually regarded to be constructed with an oak-like framework and inner-spring support. These items sit superbly on a protected patio and if kept up will weather most summer storms.
As for the Victorian wicker, there is still a treasure trove of items to be found that would make a good addition to the porch. Items such as wicker lamps, wicker ashtrays, wicker planters, wicker candlesticks, wicker picture frames, and mirrors are all sought-after products from the wicker age of the 1920s.
Wicker Best is bringing all the varieties of wicker. Choose the right one suits you.
