The five Heywood brothers began making chairs in 1826 and the company was formally introduced as B.F. Heywood & Co. in 1835. More important, the Census Records show that Wakefield had surpassed the Emerson Shoe Factory as the firm with the largest capital investment in South Reading. When the outer bark is removed and the vine dried, what remains is the hard inner shell, the rattan. Losses of $190,000 were fully covered by insurance. Mar 11, . 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. Here is the link. antique garden. The coast-to-coast expansion of the corporation was completed shortly thereafter when both a factory and retail store were opened in San Francisco. Company Name: Heywood Bros. and Wakefield Co. Related companies: Heywood, Bros. & Co. (Gardner, MA / Baltimore, MD) ; Walter Heywood Chair Mfg. In 1912, Charles Lang was elected president, a post he held until his death in December, 1921 when he was succeeded by Levi Heywood Greenwood. The furniture the company is best known for today are the pieces made from 1935 through 1966 in the "Streamline Style." Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, Most widely held works by Levi was instrumental in getting the Fitchburg Railroad to run through Gardner and in the building of the Boston, Barre & Gardner Railroad. However, some problems ensued when wages went higher than were usually paid in the furniture business. chair that is too old to be in the Heywood Wakefield Modern Furniture Identification and Value Guide book . Historic Street Address: 244-254 South 5th Street Media Type: Albumen Prints Source: Print and Picture Collection Notes: Gift of . Over time, Americans stopped purchasing the quality line of hardwood furniture made by Heywood-Wakefield. 5511, rehearing : reply brief on behalf of Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company and Murphy Chair Company, Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company : catalog no. Old swivel chairs made by Brody furniture from Chicago. The early wicker pieces are often unmarked, identification made by attribution or comparison to company catalogs. This piece features some of the most desireable design elements from that era. 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. . There can be little doubt that since Cyrus 2nd knew the intricacies of the East Indies or Straits Goods business, his presence was badly needed in settling his uncles estate. Never heard the blast of the Heywood-Wakefield whistle each morning at 7 or at noon. I have 4 Heywood Wakefield chairs. This work will continue to build our entity ecosystem to support the Their main rival, the Wakefield Rattan Company began operations in 1855. you have an Antique Maple Rocking Chair with Bentwood Arms. In 1897, the Heywood Co. consolidated with the Wakefield Rattan Co. and the Heywood and Morrill Rattan Co., which was located in Wakefield, Mass., and it was incorporated as the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Co. Beginning in the 1920s through the early Depression era of the 1930s, the expansion of Heywood-Wakefield Co. reached its peak in production and personnel. An emergency meeting was held by the union members in Perry Auditorium at City Hall and the 10 percent wage cut was eventually accepted by a union vote of 357 in favor to 206 opposed. The Heywood Brothers - Wakefield Company became Heywood-Wakefield in 1921, so your chair was made before that date. It was a US furniture manufacturer established in 1897. Located on Bostons busy waterfront, the elder Wakefield kept a watchful eye out for occasional business opportunities in commercial refuse and cast-off materials. updated. 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. We may update this record based on further research and review. The depression was the result of enormous levels of corporate and private debt and large imbalances in international trade. It went on to become a major presence in the US. Vintage Child's Oak Wooden Desk Chair - Paris Mfg. This reduced the price dramatically and the two companies competed heavily during the 1870's-1880's. Wakefield Company and Haywood Brothers & Company ultimately merged to form Heywood-Wakefield Company in 1897. Co. ME, USA - 28" Hig, Pair 54" Tall Antique Oak Wood Baluster Posts Pillars Architectural Colu, 4 Vintage Mid Century Danish Modern Table Legs Replacement Tapered 13 1/, Beautiful Signed Henry Miller Federal Inlaid Mahogany Hepplewhite Secret, Mid-Modern Teak Danish Sliding Glass Door 1960's Bookcase, Antique GLOBE WERNICKE BARRISTER BOOKCASE BACK PANEL Original Lawyers, Vtg DRAFTING TABLE Drawing Industrial Antique Oak Wood Old Architect Til, Set Vintage Double Hook Steel Bedrails 75" Bedframe Twin Full #1. Recently Viewed View More A total of 75 people were employed: 5 men and 20 women. Two storeys of the original four storey chair factory, now much altered, also survived. National Endowment for the Humanities, University of Virginia Library 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. undvik scam. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use), African American History Curatorial Collective, Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library, Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections. [7] The merged entity stayed abreast of wicker furniture trends by hiring designers such as Paul Frankl and Donald Deskey during the 1920s. Two years later, a retail store was opened in Chicago together with a second factory employing over 400 people. Heywood-Wakefield -Looking Back In 1897, two prominent furniture companies, Heywood Brothers (est. One such company was the Boston and Maine Foundry, established in 1855 on the east side of what is still called Foundry Street. Co. Chamber Suites 1881, J.S. At his death in 1873, Cyrus Wakefield was the largest importer of this type of goods in Boston. Wakefields Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Their extensive display featured everything from center tables to music stands. [7] Its furniture was exhibited at the 1933 Century of Progress exhibition and at the 1964 New York World's Fair. This figure grew to over $349,000 by 1885 and to $385,000 by 1890. ), Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, makers of cane and wood seat chairs, reed and rattan furniture : chair cane and cane upholstered, and all steel chairs ; school furniture: desk sets, typewriter desk sets, graded all-purpose chairs, students' We always have a variety of Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company classic Bar Harbor style wicker furniture available. The company began its South Reading operation in 1855 by making baskets and the skirt hoops popular in that day. The fur- . However, that was not all that helped keep the Gardner workforce alive. All rights reserved. Shop a collection of Heywood-Wakefield furniture from some of the world's top sellers on 1stDibs. By this time, Wakefield had invested over $75,000 in capital assets, mainly equipment; raw material of 300 tons of rattan was worth over $30,000. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. In 1873, the country and the Wakefield Rattan Company underwent two severe shocks: the economic depression which started in 1872 and the sudden death of Cyrus Wakefield. For many, the first death knell in the decline of the furniture manufacturing mecca that was once Gardner was delivered 40 years ago this month when Heywood-Wakefield Co. ceased operations. Antique Heywood Brothers Wakefield Victorian Wicker Settee VGC Ornate 1880-90's Here is a wonderful piece from the late 1800's by the Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company. It has carved outer facing lion heads on the front top. I would also be interested in advice on how to clean the chair. Heywood Bros & Wakefield Company - swivel chair. The Heywood-Wakefield Company is an American furniture manufacturer established in 1897. Fortunately, the exhibition and its curator, Dr. Jeremy Adamson, produced a catalog and text of very high quality, American Wicker, Woven Furniture from 1850 to 1930, (Rizzoli, New York, 1993). Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company label. His brother Enoch is listed as the sole proprietor of Wakefield and Company. By the mid- to late 1800s, several hundred French Canadians immigrated to the community to join the workforce at this and many other furniture manufacturers. The Heywood brothers (Walter, Levi, and Benjamin) began their business in Gardner, Ma. To compensate for this, the company had to ask workers to take a cut in pay in order to remain competitive in the consumer market, leading to a strike of workers in 1956. Check out John Nye's ANTIQUES ROADSHOW appraisal of this Heywood-Wakefield Rocker, ca. The vertical side supports for the back of the piece have a triple"Birdcage" design. Some chipping on porcelain. C. $455 42% Off $790. Celluloid lables with the "Heywood-Wakefield" identification appear on furniture manufactured in 1921 or after. According to Wikipedia. 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. Between 12th and 14th Streets American Home blue print pattern #2010, dry sink, Dorothy Lambert Trumm, American Home Publishing Company, New York, New York Illustrated catalogue and price list of the Shakers' Chairs, manufactured by the Society of Shakers, Emporium Publications, P.O. As early as 1876, a warehouse in New York City was in operation, located on the present site of the Woolworth Building. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. The remaining products are the mainstay of the early product line, mats and various types of baskets. Free shipping for many products! The Rattan Company continued to prosper in the post-Civil War years. 2023 www.thegardnernews.com. In addition to being the general manager of the Wakefield Rattan Company, he held positions on the boards of directors of four other U.S. and Canadian rattan furniture companies. Ever seeking market advantage and innovation, he sought to not only automate his processes by machinery but to develop uses for the other parts of rattan cane, the pith and shavings, most of which were then being discarded. In 1921, the firm reincorporated under the name Heywood-Wakefield Company. This decision, combined with the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, resulted in retrenchment and plant consolidation within the Heywood-Wakefield Company. Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, Chicago, Oak High Chair. The Heywood brothers (Walter, Levi, and Benjamin) began their business in Gardner, Ma. Heywood Wakefield values fluctuate like any market. 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. Constitution Avenue, NW Since rattan was an exceedingly light commodity, however, he needed other cargo to provide ballast to stabilize the ship during its voyage. [6] Both firms produced wicker and rattan furniture, and as these products became increasingly popular towards the end of the century, they became serious rivals. Reconstruction took place immediately. Older products by Heywood Wakefield are considered to be valuable collectibles. 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. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions. Under new management and ownership, the Wakefield Rattan Company continued to expand its product lines in home and office furniture and furnishings. Magazines for crafts Purl1VintageToo $7.00 The Tarot of Plants guide The Rattan Companys total dependence on rattan reed and cane imported from the far east made the firm heavily reliant on commercial shipping. Mike Richard Special for The Gardner News. Heywood Wakefield started off as two separate companies. By using his own vessels, Wakefields Rattan Company was able to save over $200,000 per year. From the description of Records, 1851-1853, 1881. The original red tag is on the bottom. In 1841, he married Eliza Bancroft of Lynnfield, Massachusetts. However, when management made the same request a year later, it was turned down. At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, business was going so well for the Company that Wakefield sent his nephew and namesake, Mr. Cyrus Wakefield 2nd, to Singapore, since which time (by 1874) they have imported nearly the whole stock of rattan for the country., By 1876, The Illustrated Wakefield Almanac for 1876 was reporting that the Wakefield Rattan Factory was the principal industry of Wakefield.twenty years ago established by Cyrus Wakefield who began the manufacture of rattan carpets and furniture in a small building on Water Street. Now a thousand employees were employed, making tables, chairs, carpets, curtains, mats, brooms, baskets, flower-stands, cradles and woodholders, all of rattan, every part of the cane now being utilized.. The 1925 Paris Exposition and the 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair made lasting impressions on all art disciplines, including furniture design. Both of these companies produced wicker and rattan furniture, and they were serious rivals. 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 The daughter of Henry Bancroft, a former sea captain, Elizas family was active in the China trade. Calvin Heywood letter : San Francisco, Calif. to brother Charles Heywood, Boston, Mass., 1853 Nov. 16. This is the earliest known record of the furniture production of the Wakefield Rattan Company, specifically chairs for ladies, gentlemen and children, cradle, cribs, tete-a-tete and sofas. By way of contrast, the list also includes matting of all kinds, baskets of all kinds, seating cane for chairs, baby carriages, window shades, brooms, brushes, table mats, wall screens, fire screens, wall pockets, slipper holders, clothes beaters, as well as the rattan content of whips, umbrellas, saddles and corsets. Steam power was soon added. antique garden. Levi Heywood Greenwood [1] (December 22, 1872 [11] - April 7, 1930) was a businessman and Republican politician from Massachusetts in the late 19th and early 20th century. Undoubtedly, he followed their example in setting up a small operation on Canal Street with two, crude, hand-operated machines. languages and . 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. And when the last item a heat lamp, which sold for $5 was gone, so was Heywood-Wakefield Co. Includes rocking chairs, armchairs, divans, tables, cabinets, etc. antique flag. Determining the Value of a Heywood Wakefield Chair. Heywood-Wakefield furniture is an American brand founded in 1897. Scavenging commercial refuse was one of the few ways a young person could, without borrowing, gather the capital necessary to start ones own business. Should I refinish What company used two crossed arrows as a symbol?