Friday, October 12, 2012

The Wicker Chair

Well, it's not one wicker chair, it's a number of different wicker chairs used as photo props for cabinet cards. Wicker like this was very popular from the 1860s until the turn of the century. By then, tastes had changed, and wicker like this was considered too ornate.

The first one was photographed by Engelbrecht in Towanda, Pennsylvania. 


The second one by Cobb in Binghamton, New York. with a nearly identical chair. Although the chair is interesting, it has a very dominant presence.


This woman's hair appears to have curled to match the wicker chair,which is of the same design as the chairs in the first two photos. The lady was photographed at Colburn's Gallery on 367 Broad Street in Waverly, New York.


 This young fellow  with the big bow was photographed by Stephens in Ithaca, New York.


These two children were also photographed with a settee, but with a very different design than the one in the previous photo. Their portrait was taken by A.J. Fisher of Towanda, Pennsylvania.


Here's a smiling child photographed by Van Buren in Ithaca, New York.


This baby may not have much hair, but the wicker curls make up for it. Photograph by G.R. Wheeler of Greene, New York.


You can hardly see the wicker chair in this last photo from Crocker in Corning, New York, but the lady sitting in it is lovely.



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8 comments:

  1. Lisa BOctober 12, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    Wow, lovely chairs, they make great props for the photographer, a wonderful collection of cabinet cards.

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  2. jennyfrecklesOctober 12, 2012 at 2:04 PM

    Fancy chairs and fancy clothes - they don't make them like that anymore, though I am surprised chairs like that have not made a comeback for conservatories. Perhaps they're not very comfortable.

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  3. Archie TechtOctober 12, 2012 at 9:40 PM

    Oh my gosh, that first shot is great- I imagine that squinty eye is his way of saying that if they try to put a bow like that on him again, there is gonna be trouble! The lad in image #4, on the other hand, seems to have accepted his fashion fate... The gal in #2 is adorable, and the woman in the last shot looks wonderfully feisty and fun, I wish she could come to our next dinner party- hopefully her dress sleeves wouldn't inflate like airbags though. The fact that essentially the same chair shows up in the first 3 shots is quite amusing.

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  4. Deb GouldOctober 13, 2012 at 6:11 AM

    That wicker thing in the first few photos -- you could just slap some runners on it and haul it behind a horse! But some of the others I'd love to have on my back porch!

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  5. AnonymousOctober 14, 2012 at 8:51 AM

    A wicker chair looks quite medieval to me. The lady in the last picture looks lovely indeed, the sleeves on her dress are a bit strange though.

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  6. papel1October 14, 2012 at 9:53 AM

    What a great topic Christine. I love wicker chairs but ythe do not look too comfortable. I too have a number of cabinet cards where Children and adults sit on wicker chair.
    Judy

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  7. Little NellOctober 14, 2012 at 3:17 PM

    A nice theme here. The wicker chairs do add something and provide some support of course too. That last lady is very pretty and looks so relaxed.

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  8. Nicholas JacksonOctober 14, 2012 at 7:03 PM

    Beautiful chairs. I have never seen wicker that ornate. Perhaps it fell out of popularity because it can be so frail. My wicker baskets always fall apart.

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