Antique Wicker Furniture: Corner House Antiques: American antique wicker

Corner House Antiques · Thomas and Kathleen Tetro
AmericanAntiqueWicker.com
Located in the Heart of the Massachusetts Berkshires
Route 7, Sheffield, MA 01257 (413) 229-6627

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AMERICAN ANTIQUE WICKER STYLES 1870-1930

American antique wicker is broadly classified into four major styles: Victorian, Bar Harbor, Stick Wicker, and Art Deco. As illustrated below, distinctive woven features are identified with each different style. Additionally, there are also many transtional examples of antique wicker incorporating design features from more than one specific style.

American antique wicker, antique wicker,Bar Harbor, Stick
Wicker,Art Deco, Lloyd loom The Victorian Style

The earliest American antique wicker is the Victorian style dating from the mid-1800's to 1900. Ornate, intricate patterns include complex designs laden with curlicues and embellished with beadwork. Fanciful pieces such as motifs, photographers chairs and music stands possess a sculptural quality as hand woven works of art.
A concurrent Victorian style is far more subdued, with alternating repetitive hand woven sections, finished in a serpentine rolled edge.

American antique wicker, antique wicker,Bar Harbor, Stick
Wicker,Art Deco, Lloyd loom The Bar Harbor Style

The Bar Harbor style was made from the turn-of-the-century into the 1920's. It is characterized by hand woven criss-crossed reeds taking the form of diamond shaped lattice, finished in either a wide or narrow braided border. The frames of this open and airy style may be rounded with curves, or rectilinear as in Mission wicker.

American antique wicker, antique wicker,Bar Harbor, Stick
Wicker,Art Deco, Lloyd loom The Art Deco Style

The French inspired Art Deco style of American antique wicker thrived in the 1920's. Curved and peaked frames, rounded arms and flared legs, feature various basket weave patterns closely woven overall. Visual interest often includes zig-zag designs, arrows, a diamond or cluster of diamonds.
Lloyd loom wicker is closely woven as well, though not by hand. Mass production of wicker became available in 1917 when looms were used to weave fine reeds or twisted paper material into large sheets, much like yards of fabric. The material was then applied to wooden frames by hand.

American antique wicker, antique wicker,Bar Harbor, Stick
Wicker,Art Deco, Lloyd loom The Stick Wicker Style

Stick wicker is tailored and streamlined having evenly spaced paired vertical reeds, usually without any overlapping design. Handwoven Stick Wicker from the early 1900's - late 1920's is characterized by a Modernist quality to its often angular frame, deep seats, and wide flat arms. Special features include magazine pockets and glass holders woven into the arms.


	The Victorian Style
	The earliest American antique wicker is the Victorian style dating from the mid-1800's to 1900. Ornate, intricate patterns include complex designs laden with curlicues and embellished with beadwork. Fanciful pieces such as motifs, photographers chairs and music stands possess a sculptural quality as hand woven works of art. A concurrent Victorian style is far more subdued, with alternating repetitive hand woven sections, finished in a serpentine rolled edge.

	The Bar Harbor Style
	The Bar Harbor style was made from the turn-of-the-century into the 1920's. It is characterized by hand woven criss-crossed reeds taking the form of diamond shaped lattice, finished in either a wide or narrow braided border. The frames of this open and airy style may be rounded with curves, or rectilinear as in Mission wicker.

	The Art Deco Style
	The French inspired Art Deco style of American antique wicker thrived in the 1920's. Curved and peaked frames, rounded arms and flared legs, feature various basket weave patterns closely woven overall. Visual interest often includes zig-zag designs, arrows, a diamond or cluster of diamonds. Lloyd loom wicker is closely woven as well, though not by hand. Mass production of wicker became available in 1917 when looms were used to weave fine reeds or twisted paper material into large sheets, much like yards of fabric. The material was then applied to wooden frames by hand.

	The Stick Wicker Style
	Stick wicker is tailored and streamlined having evenly spaced paired vertical reeds, usually without any overlapping design. Handwoven Stick Wicker from the early 1900's - late 1920's is characterized by a Modernist quality to its often angular frame, deep seats, and wide flat arms. Special features include magazine pockets and glass holders woven into the arms.