When my grandparents bought a house in 1929, a few pieces of Heywood-Wakefield rattan were left behind in the attic. I have one of those over-the-top wicker parlor chairs in my collection.

This labeled well-preserved Heywood-Wakefield rocking chair sold recently at Neal Auction Co. in New Orleans for ,552. Wicker furniture has been made since the days of ancient Egypt.

Wakefield found a use for it, and soon he and Heywood were competing aggressively in the wicker furniture business. The two firms merged in 1897 and became the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company.

Wakefield found a use for it, and soon he and Heywood were competing aggressively in the wicker furniture business. The two firms merged in 1897 and became the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Co.

As they changed their name to Heywood-Wakefield in 1921, your label and their style suggest that your furniture dates to circa 1910-1920. Based on your photographs, they appear to be in their ...

Ornate Victorian designs worked well for wicker furniture. This labeled well-preserved Heywood-Wakefield rocking chair sold recently at Neal Auction Co. in New Orleans for $7,552.

J.E., internet A: Levi Heywood started producing chairs in 1826 in Gardner, Mass. In 1840, he invented a machine to bend wood and one that could manipulate rattan in the making of wicker furniture.

By the 1930s, wicker furniture was scorned, and Heywood-Wakefield was making light-colored wooden furniture in simple modern designs. Wicker didn’t regain its popularity until the 1990s.

Wicker has been woven into comfortable furniture since the early 1800s. The elaborate, curved furniture of the 1890s created a special problem for manufacturers. Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Co ...

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.

In 1897, they merged with the Wakefield Company to become the Heywood-Wakefield Company, the famous makers of wicker furniture. So your chair was manufactured before 1897.