by The Wicker Woman, Cathryn Peters Copyright 2003
The following are descriptions of the most popular materials used in antique wicker furniture construction and manufacturing:
- RATTAN or ROTAN, is the the primary material used in the production of wicker furniture, and includes the entire pole, skin and all. It has an outer thorny covering that must first be removed before exposing the skin or bark (cane), which has a natural glossy finish. Rattan’s use in wicker furniture and basketry has been around since ancient times, and pieces have been documented back as far as 2500 B.C. It is imported from areas such as China, Southeast Asia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and is not indigenous to the United States.
Rattan resembles our grapevine and climbs along the floor of the jungle and through the trees. It reaches lengths of 600 feet and can be four inches or more in diameter, but generally only 2-3 inch diameter poles are used for the framework of wicker furniture. Rattan was used as the framework for very early wicker furniture of the 1840s-1870s, "Stick Wicker" of the 1930s, and recent reproductions, including new wicker furniture. However, most antique wicker from the 1870s-1940s was made using hardwood frames.
- CANE is the second layer, the skin or bark of the rattan palm, after the outer thorns have been removed. Cane is a popular weaving material used primarily in seat weaving, and in wrapping joints of wicker furniture. It is processed and sized into many different gauges, ranging from carriage fine to the largest slab rattan. Cane has a natural glossy finish and does not accept a stain or paint well. The Victorian reed wicker gentleman’s chair to the right shows a close-woven set-in cane seat, which was used extensively so as not to detract from the intricate and heavily embellished backs on the wicker furniture of the time. It was also made with a hardwood frame, not rattan.
- REED is the inner pith of the rattan palm and looks similar to a wood with a lengthwise "grain" to it and will snap and break if bent to extreme. It is a versatile material that comes in all sizes and dimensions, so is used in basketry as well as wicker furniture appearing as spokes, weavers, curlicues, and embellishments. Since the outer glossy cane skin has been removed, reed is a porous material that will accept a stain, paint or final finish treatment of varnish or lacquer very well.
- BAMBOO is a material that resembles rattan and is often mistaken for it. However, one of the biggest differences between the two materials is that bamboo has a hollow core center and rattan has a solid core center. Also, where the leaves were attached to the bamboo there are distinctive dark colored ridges, whereas on the rattan, the leaf areas are not so pronounced and visible. Bamboo tends to split and break more easily than rattan and so is not used as often as rattan in furniture construction.
- PAPER FIBRE RUSH wicker on the other hand, is a man-made paper product invented in 1904, which resembles a rope or cord. It has a distinctive "barber-pole" or diagonal twist to it and can be unraveled. Paper fibre rush, sometimes referred to as paper fibre reed wicker, nearly took over in popularity of the natural reed wicker during the 1920s and early 1930s. This same type of paper fibre rush is also used in weaving chair seats and was meant to resemble a natural bulrush or cattail leaf rush woven seat. In the mid 1930s, a wire core was added to the paper fibre strands to reinforce the weight-bearing spokes of the wicker furniture pieces.
- LLOYD LOOM PAPER FIBRE RUSH OR PAPER WICKER
was invented in 1917 and became extremely popular during the 1920s-1930s. It was made of spaghetti-like strands of paper rush, closely woven on a big loom and resembled fabric. It was then draped over the framework and attached with tacks and covered with a braid. During the later years, the wire core was added and used in heavy weight-bearing areas of the pieces. Lloyd Loom "sheets" and "fabric" appeared on all types of wicker furniture, couches, chairs, tables, lamps, baby and doll buggies, planters, footstools, smoking stands, and tea carts, to name a few and remains a favorite for the "vintage" collector.
