Lot Essay
The interest in bamboo furniture in America grew out of the Aesthetic Movement in Britain after 1860. Versatile and function, bamboo fulfilled the criteria set forth by such design and social reformers as Charles Locke Eastlake, William Morris and Clarence Cooke. The popularity of bamboo furniture also coincided with increased interest in the Orient following Commodore Matthew C. Perry's expedition to Japan in 1854. American retailers and manufacturers promoted this style profusely from 1875-1890. For a more complete history of bamboo furniture in the West see Walking, Antique Bamboo Furniture (London, 1979).