However, when management made the same request a year later, it was turned down. According to Wikipedia. Make an offer. The Heywood brothers (Walter, Levi, and Benjamin) began their business in Gardner, Ma. Throughout these changes, the old Wakefield Rattan Company continued in profitable operation in its original Water Street facilities. Through a grant from Heywood-Wakefield, the Association employed a Harvard professor of anthropology, E. A. Hooton, to research rail passenger seat preferences in 1945. Then when they merged in 1897, the name changed to the Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company (1897-1921). docket, no. A Royal Hobby: Collecting King Charles Memorabilia, More Than Meets the Eye: Antique Furniture Surprises, Danish Modern and Beyond: Scandinavian Inspired Furniture from Heywood-Wakefield, Antique Wicker: From the Heywood-Wakefield Catalog. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions. Soon after, the Company began directly competing with the American Rattan Company when it began producing woven cane chair seats. 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. antique garden. Some have been razed altogether only to be replaced by new buildings or vacant lots. As financial difficulties continued, workers were asked to take a 10 percent wage cut in 1960, which was begrudgingly accepted by the union workers. At his death in 1873, Cyrus Wakefield was the largest importer of this type of goods in Boston. Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company chair ID help. 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). When Lloyd put man-made fibre on his most famous invention, the giant power loom, he was able to produce a large portion of the furniture product by machine. A total of 75 people were employed: 5 men and 20 women. Danish Modern and Beyond: Scandinavian Inspired Furniture from Heywood-Wakefield. I circled with white pencil the problems I found while taking the pictures. A completed century, 1826-1926; the story of Heywood-Wakefield Company : Heywood-Wakefield Company : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Little by little, the buildings where these manufacturing concerns were located have been removed from the scene. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. At the death of Cyrus Wakefield, his nephew, Cyrus Wakefield 2nd, was called home from Singapore to assume the responsibilities of managing the company. Research material, history, geography. It was announced in June of that year that the company decided to sell or dispose of four woodshops the one in Gardner, two in New York State and another in Canada. As did many other entrepreneurs of the day, Wakefield realized that he could not successfully enter the business using the manual processes of the past. "Wakefield Rattan Company" (1855-1897) "Heywood Brothers & Company" (1868-1897) In 1897, the two furniture companies Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company merged to create Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company. The older Heywood-Wakefield furniture pieces of rattan and wicker are exquisite in their details and designs can still command a few hundred dollars or more per piece. Just prior to the end of Langs career, the firm changed its name to the Heywood-Wakefield Company. Siebert. The Heywood-Wakefield Company is an American furniture manufacturer established in 1897. By the turn of the 20th century, the Watkins family would incorporate the Simplex Time Recorder Co., which would eventually join Heywood-Wakefield among Gardners largest employers. At the time of Wakefields purchase, the property consisted of two ponds, one on either side of Water Street, a few small buildings which had been used for manufacturing, and the old Green family home. 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. Topic: Furniture. These two companies merged in 1897 as Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company; the name was changed again in 1921 to the now familiar name Heywood-Wakefield. Heywood-Wakefield furniture is an American brand founded in 1897. Four hours of searching and I see nothing even remotely similar to this chair. These pieces were minimalist in design similar to Scandinavian Danish Modern pieces, using in light-colored hardwoods instead of teak in stains called champagne, wheat, or blonde--one of the best known examples being the Butterfly Table. The five Heywood brothers began making chairs in 1826 and the company was formally introduced as B.F. Heywood & Co. in 1835. And if you were seeking furnishings to outfit your infants nursery, you would look no further than Gem Crib and Cradle Co. or Thayers. This firm later became the Smith and Anthony stove works. Heywood Bros. & Co., manufacturers of chairs, rattan and reed furniture, chair cane and baby carriages by Heywood Bros. & Co ( Book ) 1 edition published in 1886 in English and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide by Heywood Bros. & Co ( ) in English and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide Thorn Co. The famous Heywood -Wakefield Eagle mark came into use in 1949. Heywood-Wakefield furniture is an American brand founded in 1897. Follow this Artist. For more information, see our biography of Cyrus Wakefield, and the story of the Wakefield Rattan industry. President Richard N. Greenwood noted it would be impossible for the plant to continue operations under the terms of that new vote and announced on Jan. 13, 1961, that Heywood-Wakefield would close. In 1897, the firm consolidated with its affiliate, the Heywood & Morrill Rattan Co. and its chief competitor, the Wakefield Rattan Co. to form Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Co. Do you know what this means? Shop with confidence. Trying to find info on a Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company wooden ladder-backed chair with a cane seat. future knowledge work of librarians. Certainly, skirt hoops topped this list of products during the start-up years. Heywood Wakefield values fluctuate like any market. chair that is too old to be in the "Heywood Wakefield Modern Furniture Identification and Value Guide" book . Trade catalogs from Heywood Bros. and Wakefield Co. Antique Wicker: From the Heywood-Wakefield Catalog by Schiffer Publishing Ltd ,1997. The Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital, the Levi Heywood Memorial Library and the Greenwood Memorial Pool all have their roots with the Heywood name. Heywood-Wakefield purchased the patented loom in 1920. Perhaps the most important message here is the range of products produced by the Company. Wakefields use of machinery appears to have been limited to two areas: the original machinery for splitting the rattan stems into workable cane, and the highly automated mat and cane seating. The Heywood-Wakeeld company contin-ues to make its Mid-Century Modern furni-ture from Northern yellow birch wood, but nowadays selects higher quality woods than the company originally used. antique hutch. This has been confirmed by the discovery of a rare, pocket-sized 22 page Wakefield Rattan Company price list in the Heywood-Wakefield Company collection of the Levi Heywood Memorial Library in Gardner, Massachusetts. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Undoubtedly, he followed their example in setting up a small operation on Canal Street with two, crude, hand-operated machines. Only in this manner could chair makers obtain the clean outer shell from which chairs were made. A Royal Hobby: Collecting King Charles Memorabilia, More Than Meets the Eye: Antique Furniture Surprises. a scholar member and an all time top contributor at Artifact Collectors. By 1863, the number of hands employed had increased to 200, increasing gradually to in excess of 1000 in 1873. 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. Articles. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online. Free shipping for many products! Company History: In 1897, two prominent furniture companies, Heywood Brothers (est. Those still standing include the four storey reed furniture factory on the west, the three storey matting and rug factory on the east, and a small brick, varnish house. Heywood-Wakefield can trace its roots all the way back to 1826 with the establishment of the Heywood Brothers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Heywood Bros. & Co. Records, 1851-1853, 1881. 7 Sold See item details Similar items on Etsy ( Results include Ads ) National Geographic magazine. Published bySchiffer, 1997 ISBN 10: 0887406181ISBN 13: 9780887406188 Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A. Add To Cart. If you have any questions concerning the item[s] listed in this auction, please email, or call us at: 319-331-1949, between 9 AM and 8 PM, any day, [Iowa time]. Most widely held works by Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company Classic wicker furniture : the complete 1898-1899 illustrated catalog by Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company ( ) 4 editions published in 1982 in English and German and held by 12 WorldCat member libraries worldwide However, the winter of 1979 took its toll on the company when more than $800,000 was spent on heating oil for the building. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Antique Heywood Wakefield Wicker Sewing Stand at the best online prices at eBay! Please look at them carefully and let me know if you have any questions. The early wicker pieces are often unmarked, identification made by attribution or comparison to company catalogs. Wakefield was very familiar with this firm; it appears to have been one of his main customers for the Malayan and Chinese rattan he was importing. However, that was not all that helped keep the Gardner workforce alive. Ethan Allen Desk, Hutch, Swivel Chair. Valued by collectors It was the growing zeal of collectors that opened Leonard Riforgiato's eyes to the possibility of reviving the line of blond furniture from the company that had gone out of business after 153 years. Interested in Heywood Wakefield furniture. Steam power was soon added. About us; Contributors; Moderators; Company; Support; FAQs; Ask a question; Site support; Schiffer Publishing, 1997. Marra M is Calvin Heywood letter : San Francisco, Calif. to brother Charles Heywood, Boston, Mass., 1853 Nov. 16. Heywood-Wakefield can trace its roots all the way back to 1826 with the establishment of the Heywood Brothers. This is an undated Opera Chair Price list. Internet Archive logo $550. Type of material Trade catalogs Trade literature Date range 1800s-1900s Variant company name Est. Henry Heywood was president of the firm until his death in 1904. It maintained offices and salesroom in Boston from its earliest days, and the old Wakefield Rattan Building, fronting on Canal and Friend Streets, was for years a landmark in the city. Our collection database is a work in progress. And when the last item a heat lamp, which sold for $5 was gone, so was Heywood-Wakefield Co. Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, Chicago, Oak High Chair. 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. Antique mission oak style child's rocking chair that still has an original paper label that reads, 'Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, Chicago'. How much is your Heywood-Wakefield Furniture Worth? Since then, the buildings have been part of various industrial parks, housing many small tenants. Older products by Heywood Wakefield are considered to be valuable collectibles. Box 539, Newton, Mass. Rouland, Steven and Rouland, Roger W. Heywood-Wakefield Modern Furniture. Fortunately for the town of Wakefield, which had just renamed itself in honor of its greatest benefactor and largest industry, the rattan business appears to have continued almost as usual. Eatons Genealogical History tells us that In a few years, his importations of Canton Split Rattan were known throughout the United States.. 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. to open a store to sell chairs. Wakefield tax records for the year 1876 reveal that the Wakefield Rattan Company had grown to include 19 buildings valued at over $100,000. Soon a second Illinois plant was started, this one 56 miles south of Chicago in the town of Kankakee. A majority of American railroads declared bankruptcy, more than two thirds of our iron mills closed by 1877, and more than 18,000 businesses failed. It operated for more than a century and a half in Gardner, Massachusetts, a hub for furniture manufacturing. So what do you think? Attended by nearly a quarter of the nations population, the Company could not have chosen a better time and location to show of its wares. [6], While its wooden furniture plant in Gardner, Massachusetts closed in 1979, a branch in Menominee, Michigan continued to manufacture metal outdoor seats, auditorium seats, and school furniture. Eventually, Wakefield decided to buy his own ships to handle rattan cargoes. 31 1/4'' h. x 64'' Two pieces of Victorian era furniture: recamier Two pieces of Victorian era furniture: recamier sofa, scrolled carved oak frame with floral button tufted upholstery, some areas of sun fade and wear to Dusty Old Thing. Wakefield initiated its mechanized production. As the economy slowed and manufacturers turned out inferior quality wicker at lower prices, it began to lose its appeal. The depression was the result of enormous levels of corporate and private debt and large imbalances in international trade. you have an Antique Maple Rocking Chair with Bentwood Arms. I have a heywood wakefield rocking chair with a paper stamp with 929-6 chic How old is my chair, why does it have casters/rollers on front legs? Although Wakefields estate papers indicate that on the day he died, he had rattan and spice cargoes at sea on over twenty vessels, he did not, at least directly, own any of the vessels. Their product line included strollers, baby carriages, settees, side chairs, armchairs, rockers, pedestals, fern stands, and tables. One issue of NGS magazine. Comments and suggestions can be sent to Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com or in writing to Mike Richard, 92 Boardley Road, Sandwich, MA 02563. chairs and desks, lecture chairs, table arm chairs, standard tables, assembly and gymnasium seating ; traditional, colonial On the night of March 12 1881, the Wakefield Rattan Company lost most of its buildings, then mostly wood frame, in a huge fire, known for years in the local newspapers as the Great Rattan Company Fire. 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. Cyrus Wakefield had a second major success also around this time when he succeeded in buying up the complete supply of rattan in New York. undvik scam. Just nine days before his death, however, Wakefield, on October 17, 1873, incorporated his rattan business only, under the name Wakefield Rattan Company.