The company produced wicker and rattan furnishings in all the popular styles of the late Victorian period through the 1930s, such as Aesthetic, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco. In 1897; these companies merged, thus forming Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company. Its older products are considered collectibles [1] [2] [3] and have been featured on Antiques Roadshow. Other manufacturers like Nichols & Stone, S. Bent & Brothers and Conant Ball which helped Gardner gain the moniker of The Chair City would follow suit. The resulting depression, known as the Panic of 73 was the most severe the country had experienced. A majority of American railroads declared bankruptcy, more than two thirds of our iron mills closed by 1877, and more than 18,000 businesses failed. All rights reserved. Scott, Tim. In the 1830s, the brothers formalized their partnership under the direction of Levi. Atlanta, Georgia 30328 | 877.481.5750. 42 strollers, strollerettes, sleepers, bassinets and high chairs], Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company makers of cane and wood seat chairs, reed and rattan furniture, Heywood-Wakefield reed and rattan furniture, Cane and wood seat chairs : revised price list, September 1898, Price list of chairs : set up and finished, Folder contains photograph and information sheet related to a wicker child's rocker, ( Part II of the story begins in 1873 with Wakefields death and traces the merger, rise and fall of a corporate conglomerate, the towns largest employer for decades, and its demise during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The older Heywood-Wakefield furniture pieces of rattan and wicker are exquisite in their details and designs can still command a few hundred dollars or more per piece. Driven out of the European woodenware market, Wakefield turned his attention and that of his engineers to developing improved manufacturing processes to make use of all parts of the imported cane, not just the outer part. The Heywood-Wakefield Company is an American furniture manufacturer established in 1897. Type of material Trade catalogs Trade literature Date range 1800s-1900s Variant company name Est. The power for the facility by now had almost certainly been completely converted to steam since there were two large steam engines of 250 horse power each on the grounds. [7] The wicker styles drew on the Aesthetic Movement and Japanese influences; simpler designs arose in the wake of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Hickory Chair Company $350 $350 (richmond va) Photo cacher cette annonce montrer montrer cette annonce. publications in Ethan Allen Desk, Hutch, Swivel Chair. Published bySchiffer, 1997 ISBN 10: 0887406181ISBN 13: 9780887406188 Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A. Vintage Postmodern Swivel Vanity Chair c1980 - $275 Round swivel vanity chair with tan painted walnut base and back, 4 square tapered legs. [11], Last edited on 30 November 2021, at 22:31, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heywood-Wakefield_Company&oldid=1058005542, This page was last edited on 30 November 2021, at 22:31. (110.5 x 70.2 x 52.7 cm) Credit Line: Gift of The Wicker Garden, 1978 Accession Number: 1978.500 Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. During the next three decades the business expanded. Make an offer. In 1875, in the middle of the worst depression in history, the Rattan Company began to prepare for the recovery by opening new retail outlets in New York City. At some point after he started rattan manufacturing in South Reading, Cyrus Wakefield also got into woodenware. Since neither Cyrus Wakefield nor the Wakefield Rattan Company were known to have had manufacturing facilities outside of South Reading, it is assumed that these household products were also made on the grounds of the Rattan Company. Heywood also makes an important contribution to scholarship arguing persuasively for a re-structuring of the chapter and section breaks. Since rattan was an exceedingly light commodity, however, he needed other cargo to provide ballast to stabilize the ship during its voyage. 1826) and Wakefield Company (est. 5511, rehearing : reply brief on behalf of Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company and Murphy Chair Company, Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company : catalog no. This had to be something of risk to Wakefield since the American Rattan Company seems to have been one of the largest customers for his imported rattan. My chair is a dark wood with a straight back, spindle legs and back, wood seat and has a tag under the seat with number 557-1. Dovetail Antiques offers top of the line professional antique wicker restoration services. One of her brothers worked for the house of Messrs. Russell and Company of Canton, China Cyrus Wakefield sent his brother-in-law samples of the cane in highest demand, no doubt inquiring as to the cost of having the rattan split in Canton with lower cost Chinese labor. He held this post until 1897 when, in a merger with Heywood Brothers and Company and the Heywood and Morrill Rattan Company, the Wakefield Rattan Company ceased to exist as an independent firm. Mar 11, 2023 Antique Arts & Crafts Stickley Brothers Mission Oak Book Stand c1910 $100. This work will continue to build our entity ecosystem to support the chicago academy of fine arts. Dr. Jeremy Adamsons book, American Wicker, Woven Furniture from 1850 to 1930, documents the history of wicker and rattan furniture, and provides the following definition of rattan and its by-products: Rattan is the stem or trunk of a climbing palm, genus Calamus, which grows in Malaya, India, China and other south Asian countries. Antique Heywood Wakefield Signed Wicker Accent Occasional or Side Chair, Late 19th. antique garden. For more information, see our biography of Cyrus Wakefield, and the story of the Wakefield Rattan industry. Perhaps the most important message here is the range of products produced by the Company. If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please, Relevant Another event worth noting occurred in 1886 when Edward Goodrich Watkins joined Heywood Brothers and Co. to work in the department headed by his father, Gardner Watkins. These circumstances combined to cause the stock market crash of September 19, 1873. In other cases, new businesses and industries have replaced the old in the same spots. Wakefield was soon to learn however that after purchasing his raw rattan, his tradesmen-customers incurred sizable labor costs because of the need to split the long rattan stems by hand. The building occupies a plot 100 by 200, extending through from West 34th street to West 33rd street, the twelve stories and basement being occupied entirely by the Heywood Bros. & Wakefield Co., a branch of which is located in Chicago. Eatons Genealogical History tells us that In a few years, his importations of Canton Split Rattan were known throughout the United States.. Foreseeing disaster if he did not mechanize this process, Cyrus Wakefield himself apparently came up with the designs for the needed machines. Eagle stamp that has Heywood Wakefield. Up until this time, all of Cyrus Wakefields considerable properties, investments and businesses had been privately held. These pieces were minimalist in design similar to Scandinavian Danish Modern pieces, using in light-colored hardwoods instead of teak in stains called champagne, wheat, or blonde--one of the best known examples being the Butterfly Table. Hi Lucy :) Another option is connect with our sister site that has furniture experts. Find the Value of your Heywood-Wakefield Furniture. Celluloid lables with the "Heywood-Wakefield" identification appear on furniture manufactured in 1921 or after. antique flag. updated. The growth and prosperity of the Wakefield Rattan Company was in part due to the Companys participation in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition held at Philadelphias Fairmount Park. Visual upholstered, and all steel chairs ; school furniture: desk sets, typewriter desk sets, graded all-purpose chairs, students' Work began to be outsourced, with many of the wooden pieces being cut and shaped overseas only to be assembled at the Gardner plant. By 1863, the number of hands employed had increased to 200, increasing gradually to in excess of 1000 in 1873. furniture, summer (cane, reed and stick rattan) furniture, wood and leather chairs, porch furniture, and baby carriages, coaches, Ask an antiques appraiser Ask an Expert General Questions Antiques Appraiser Trying to find info on a Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Verified MARYC466 3,371 Satisfied Customers Expert In the meantime one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in the United States, Heywood Brothers and Company (established in 1826), looked at the new wicker furniture industry with more than a passing interest and by the early 1870s began producing their own line of wicker products from their factory in Gardner, Massachusetts. This tag dates these chairs from 1897 to 1921. Heywood Brothers & Wakefield $70 (prc > prescott) bild 74.3mi dlj den hr annonsen terstll terstll den hr annonsen ^ verst ^ verst. Tim Scotts Fine Wicker Furniture, 1870 1930 notes that after the bark has been removed from the vine, an inner by-product, called reed, remains. The tag Have antique repair questions? Heywood-Wakefield Co. you read and agreed to the. (Winterthur Library). chairs and desks, lecture chairs, table arm chairs, standard tables, assembly and gymnasium seating ; traditional, colonial Title: Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, Furniture. SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions. you have an Antique Maple Rocking Chair with Bentwood Arms. In the 1830s, the brothers formalized their partnership under the direction of Levi. Heywood Wakefield started off as two separate companies. Institute of Museum and Library Services Their product line included strollers, baby carriages, settees, side chairs, armchairs, rockers, pedestals, fern stands, and tables. Collector Books, 1994. I think it is early 1900s. Larger or more expensive items can generally be placed on consignment in many collector and antique shops and galleries as well as in multi-vendor shops. Set of 4 Vintage Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company Chicago Chairs All 4 have their original labels with half of the label being missing/torn (last 2 pix) They did belong to an artisst/painter and h library holdings. Poor's Manual of Industrials 1916. These two men were responsible for developing the machinery and processes which for decades helped give the Wakefield Rattan Company its competitive edge. C. $455 42% Off $790. The actual manufacturing occurred in a wood frame building which had been part of the mill property. Fine Wicker Furniture: 1870-1930. From that day forward, his was the guiding hand in the affairs of the Wakefield Rattan Company. Schiffer Publishing, 2005. As a young Boston grocery clerk in the late 1820s and early 30s, Cyrus Wakefield is reported to have worked an after-hours, second job as an independent jobber, reselling cast off wooden barrels and casks. Losses of $190,000 were fully covered by insurance. Only in this manner could chair makers obtain the clean outer shell from which chairs were made. According to Wikipedia. The famous Heywood -Wakefield Eagle mark came into use in 1949. Just nine days before his death, however, Wakefield, on October 17, 1873, incorporated his rattan business only, under the name Wakefield Rattan Company. They never experienced the familiar buzz of activity in the downtown area during lunch hour. Heywood Wakefield China Hutch Buffet Bubble Crown Glass M1547 on M1544 $1,995 . It was not made before 1900, however, because all of the company's chairs before 1900 were made of wicker and/or rattan. Here is the link. Although the Wakefield Rattan Company had been weaving cane webbing for chair bottoms since 1870, even into the twentieth century, rattan furniture still required significant hand-weaving. At that time, the American Rattan Company of Fitchburg, Massachusetts was the only company using machinery to split rattan products. 2023 - WorthPoint Corporation | 5 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 2900. The mid-century modern furniture manufacturer uses sustainable, durable Northern Yellow birch, which gives its pieces a rich yellow color. Our items date from the 1860s to the 1940s, and many of them are signed pieces from the largest makers of the periods, such as Heywood Brothers, Wakefield Rattan Company, Heywood/Wakefield Company and Whitney and Reed Company. . Does anyone have any info on the company 'Jordan Sheffield Collection'? The history of the Wakefield Rattan Company and its successor, the Heywood-Wakefield Company is a story told in two parts. This fortunate speculation is of great significance in the history of the Wakefield Rattan Company since it gave Cyrus Wakefield the capital to completely alter the business scope of the firm, to change it from a reseller and importer of raw materials to a manufacturer of finished products. Marra M is chair that is too old to be in the Heywood Wakefield Modern Furniture Identification and Value Guide book . With the capital from the New York speculation, Wakefield opened his first factory in the old Wakefield Building on Canal Street in Boston. Side Chairs. ), Danish modern and beyond : Scandinavian inspired furniture from Heywood-Wakefield, Annual catalogue of children's go-carts, gocarettes and convertible and carriages : petanted Nov. 14, 1899-march 12, 1901, Reed and rattan furniture, chair cane and children's go-carts and carriages, Before the Interstate Commerce Commission, Michigan Seating Company vs. Grand Trunk Western Railway Company, et al., I.C.C. By 1921, the name was shortened to Heywood-Wakefield Company and remained that way until the 1940s when the wicker furniture industry became obsolete and fell out of fashion with the buying public. accessible through it. Running a Vintage Business: How Do You Know What to Sell? Saunders, Richard. Add To Cart. Although it is not known exactly when this occurred, it is possible that it may have been as early as 1841-42, when the Opium War in China closed off, much of the trade in imported split rattan. . At that time, the Rattan Companys facilities had grown to include one brick machine shop of four stories, eight large workshops and warehouses and a number of smaller buildings occupying about four acres. By good fortune, he was able to acquire this rattan at a greatly depressed price, and ultimately resell it at a considerable profit in a marketplace which, by this time, he monopolized. By the middle of the 1880s, operations were expanded to Chicago, and with their other local plant in Erving, Mass., Heywood Brothers would have three different manufacturing locations. Thorn Co. The following year, at the annual meeting of 1889, the Board of Directors elected Mr. Lang treasurer. A major fire in 1972 destroyed all but three buildings of the original complex. In every reporting year, the Wakefield plant performed well, being profitable even during pre-World War years 1910 to 1917 which were occasions of major strikes and labor unrest.