Wicker Trunk

The Wicker Trunk—Making a Comeback

Wicker was first used by the Egyptians, as early as 3000 BC, to make chairs, tables and the wicker trunk of reed and swamp grass. It made its way to Rome where the emperors designed their own style of wicker furniture. Years later wicker made its way to England, America and parts of Europe. It was popular with seamen and tradesmen carrying goods from one place to another. Although it was not a very stable material it was light weight and easy to handle. During the Victorian era, when people believed everything in the home should be sanitary and cleanliness prevailed, wicker furniture and accessories became more popular than upholstered furniture and accessories.Wicker held less dust than fabric.

In about the late1800’s the wicker trunk became popular as people traveled and used it as luggage. It was lightweight and held everything that the normal piece of luggage would hold. It traveled by horse and coach and later by train and ship. However, it did not travel very well. By the time it was thrown into the luggage compartment of the train or ship it was wrecked as other more substantial luggage was thrown on top of it.

Wicker, in itself, is not a plant.  It is made of thin twigs of such plants as reed, willow, cane and rattan. Rattan is the most popular of the plants from which wicker is made. Rattan is a plant grown in the rain forests of Asia and can grow to be a tall as 800 feet. Another plant used to make wicker is bamboo which can get to about 100 feet. It is favored because it grows very fast and trails. As an aside, bamboo is not allowed to be grown in some parts of the United States because it grows so fast, sometimes as much as three feet per day, it kills other plants. In the United States only professional nurseries can grow bamboo. Because of their strength the bamboo and rattan wicker trunk is stronger than its predecessors.

Today the wicker trunk is used in the home. It is tastefully designed and sometimes can look like a grand piece of art. In the homes it is used as storage but, because of their designs are no longer cast into the attic. Whatever the homeowner wants to store, it can  be stored in a wicker trunk in plain view. Collectors look for the hard-to-find old wicker trunks. However, because of their weaker design they are very hard to find. If a collector finds an original wicker trunk that is in good condition you can be sure it did not do much traveling in its day. Some retro shops carry the reproduced wicker trunk as it originally looked.

Modern wicker is not only seen in wicker trunks but in indoor furniture as well as outdoor patio furniture. If you want a piece of furniture or a household accessory that is durable, lightweight and attractive than the wicker trunk is definitely your answer.

Check out some nice wicker trunks online: