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In the early 1900s, wicker furniture and seating were at their peak. Success was dictated by the fact that open, airy places in the home, such as porches and verandas, were beginning to be popular in American homes as the only way to seek coolness in the hot summer months. Wicker was the ideal material for furnishing these new spaces, lighter and cooler than heavy solid wood furniture, practical to handle, and breathable for warmer weather.
Wicker furniture changed over the years and with fashion, also taking inspiration from Asian furniture (especially the hourglass shape of the bases), but one model above all established itself starting in the 1910s: the Peacock Armchair. An hourglass shape that evolved into a towering figure on the backrest, picturesque, elegant and majestic, also ideal for the nascent film industry, which saw in the richly decorated and rounded shape of the backrest a perfect setting for promotional portraits of actors.
But what is the origin of this chair?
To find out, we need to look at one of the very first photographs of the chair, which dates back to 1914. Depicting a woman with her son in her arms, the photograph is titled "Jailbird in a peacock chair" and was taken at Bilibid Prison in the Philippines. From the chronicles of the time we find out that it was not only a prison, but also an attraction for mainly American tourists because of the local production of Peacock chairs, made by the prisoners themselves for tourists. By this time the chair's popularity was a given, to the point that a 1916 Vogue article with shopping tips in the Far East suggests a visit to the Bilibid prison to purchase the now famous chair.
In the world of design, a modern interpretation of the Peacock chair came from Franco Albini, who designed the Margherita armchair for Bonacina in 1950: composed of reeds of Indian rush with a foam rubber cushion, Margherita echoes the hourglass base and throne back shape of the Peacock Armchair, but making it more rounded, cozy and linear.
But it was with the 1960s that the Peacock chair reached the height of its fame, appearing in numerous photo shoots and music album covers: the Bee Gees, Cher, Dolly Parton, Julio Iglesias and many others. In 1967 he also had Huey Newton, the leader of the Black Panther, portrayed on a Peacock chair; from that moment on, the chair became a symbol of civil rights struggles and pride for African Americans. Many artists repurposed the chair in this new key, one of the most famous examples being the cover of the 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You by the group Funkadelic, where the group's musician George Clinton is portrayed on a Peacock chair in an attitude reminiscent of Newton's photo; but it is also the case in the film Black Panther released in 2018, where the similarity between the protagonist's throne and the famous photograph of the political leader did not go unnoticed.
The Peacock chair over the years has gained more and more appeal to the point of becoming a true style icon, part of this fame is also due to its versatility, which allows it to be placed in different environments in terms of style and inspiration, without creating dissonance. To copy some vintage-inspired ideas, just look for the various editorials the Peacock chair has been featured in over the past century: from Boho to more High-tech versions, the Peacock chair has been able to make its mark for a century and beyond. Discover these and other bamboo, reed, and rattan chairs at intOndo.
