The peacock chair is a chair made of woven rattan or bamboo with a flared back, originated in the Philippines. It became popular in the United States and abroad during the 20th century, as a thronelike symbol of status, being featured in photographies with politicians, revolutionary leaders, actors and musicians.

History

The peacock chair is one of several wicker chair designs to have originated from The Philippines and popularized in the US after the 1876's Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. This design originated in The Philippines, as a chair produced by inmates of the

Bilibid prison The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila is the main insular prison designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice. As of Octob ...

in the early 20th-century. During the American colonial period, the prison was espoused by colonizers as a 'benevolent' institution, where prisoners in rehabilitation programs made articles like furniture, silverware and baskets. The products were exposed at the prison workshop and sold to tourists. One of the first peacock chair photos to popularize the model was featured in the May 16–17, 1914 edition of the '' El Paso Herald'', with a female inmate from the Philippine with her baby was sat on it.

Design

The chair has an hourglass shaped base, lifted arms and a woven flared back resembling a peacock's tail.

Symbol

With the popularization of photography, photographers employed wicker chairs as a prop seat for its sturdy, lightweight appearance. The peacock chair acquired a status symbol, with its thronelike appearance, favored for shoots with politicians, artists and celebrities. The 1967 Blair Stapp photograph of

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, founder of the

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, sitting on the chair with a spear and a rifle in each hand, became especially notable as a Black power movement icon. The peacock chair was also featured on the screen, like Morticia Addams' chair in the 1964 television series The Addams Family. The chair also appeared in film, like ''My Fair Lady'' (1964), '' Emmanuelle'' (1972) and ''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

'' (2018). The peacock chair was a trend in album covers, such as

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

's '' I'm Still in Love With You (1972), '' Dorothy Moore'''s Misty Blue (1976),''

Al di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as ' ...

's ''Casino'' (1978), Funkadelic's ''

Uncle Jam Wants You ''Uncle Jam Wants You'' is the eleventh studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Records on September 21, 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Charly Groove Records and Priority Records. It ...

'' (1979) and Heaven 17's ''Play to Win'' (1981).

References

{{reflist Chairs