Why this chair is on so many album covers
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2019
- A lot of celebrity butts sat in this chair.
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The golden age of album cover design doesn’t have a specific start and end date, but many regard the late 1960s to 1970s as one of the field's most exciting times. From the psychedelic rock covers of the '60s to glistening airbrush covers of the '70s, the era was a kaleidoscope of colors worthy of placement in modern art museums.
But there’s one genre of cover so ubiquitous it almost flew under the radar. The covers typically featured a wide shot of the artist sitting on a throne-like wicker chair, like a king or queen. Usually, the artist looked casual and relaxed; sometimes props would sit around them to decorate the scene. No matter what, the oversized woven chair was the main feature. This was the peacock chair album cover, and it was everywhere: Dolly Parton, Al Green, and Cher all sat in it.
This might seem like a weird blip of a trend over a few years in the 1970s, but a closer look reveals how deep the wicker chair portrait tradition goes. Spoiler alert: a full century. The video above tracks the origin of the peacock wicker chair portrait and tells the unlikely story of where this giant chair came from.
A detailed account of the history of wicker furniture and its place in pop culture was documented by Emily A. Morris in her paper The Development and Effects of the Twentieth-Century Wicker Revival: repository.si.edu/bitstream/h...
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"same type of chair" would be more accurate
Right? She makes a few dubious statements throughout the video but that one bothered me the most.
Yeah i wondered what happened to it, repainted and then even the form changed .. clearly not the same chair :| Apart from that it's a nice video .. but it's kind of overshadowed by the clickbaiting
i thought i was the only one bothered by that too...
Are you guys up late? The adults are watching TV now. The same style chair. Same chair, the peacock chair.
"They were sitting in the exact same chair," is a completely inaccurate statement. It's not a minor distinction either. The fact that it is a common style/type of chair in not unique or special in any way. Things like this happen all the time. All. The. Time. In many ways, that misstatement makes this video irrelevant and pointless.
"They were all sitting in the *exact same chair."* Shows a bunch of *different* peacock chairs.
wot u dont spek millennial?
Lies.....All lies!
What they mean is same type of chair
@@iyeth18 no kidding?!
IQs have declined by 2 standard deviations since the cohort born in 1974. A generation ago, the millennial's best and brightest would all have been in special ed class.
Im from the Philippines and there are only few people right now who still works and creates this masterpiece and my family is one of them.
@Tree Of High Places you've got to pay for it
if i had the money i’d definitely buy a chair from you guys, they’re so comfy
I’d buy one!!
I’ll buy one! Do u sell online or ship to US?
Kids don't care about wicker furniture anymore. Nowadays all they care about is wickerpedia.
From a photography point of view I’d say the peacock chair is good for portraits because of the way it frames the subject.
Framing in photography is a fairly widely used technique. I’m surprised you didn’t mention this aspect more.
"They were all sitting in the *EXACT* same chair."
Me: Uh...no?
@Drew Down I don't feel like you actually looked at the comments hahaha
Anyways, I never said that it was an objectively worse video because of it. I watched and enjoyed the entire video.
"They were sitting in the exact same chair," is a completely inaccurate statement. It's not a minor distinction either. The fact that it is a common style/type of chair in not unique or special in any way. Things like this happen all the time. All. The. Time. In many ways, that misstatement makes this video irrelevant and pointless.
@Drew Down "fascinating 8 minute video"
Me: Uh...no?
"They were all sitting in various styles of chairs made of exactly the same material....Wicker!"
Oh my god, way to be annoyingly pedantic. Do you want a gold star for pointing out one insignificant error?
Vox: "This EXACT same chair" with images of *different* chairs
They are all peacock chairs, the designs may be different but the same chair
Thought the same thing. That’s not how to use the word exact.
should have said "this exact same TYPE of chair"
@@arnilieable Bothered me too. I thought there was this single chair that photographers were shipping all over the world so it could seen with different celebrities. Only when I saw the chairs were different sizes did I realize they meant the same model/style of chair. Great channel but in this case the wording could have been clearer.
@@Belioyt "EXACT SAME CHAIR" expresses 1 chair.
"They were all sitting on the exact same chair"
Interesting use of the word exact
I came here to say exactly this.
Exactly!
Exactly, the exact same chair that can fit 2 people but also only 1 person
My (American) grandparents married in the Phillipines in about 1920 and my mother was born there in Baguio. I still have their wicker couch with 2 side chairs and we also had one of these Peacock chairs. So their furniture is now over 100 years old and still going strong! Thanks for sharing the history & background.
Imagine being known as "Drake's Dad"
Plot twist: Drake writes a song about his Dad not paying child support since 1991
And the cycle perhaps will continue
@@dothedeed plot twist: drake hasn't been paying child support for Adonis
lol
not as sad as being known as drakes son
As a Filipino, I thought the peacock chair was just an ordinary chair from our childhood days. Didnt know it made an impact globally. Thanks vox as always :)
I've always wanted one but they're very expensive around $600-700 AUD
Same! first time hearing about this.
When I was a kid my parents and lots of families I knew would rent one of these chairs for party photos - like for a bridal or baby shower or christening party.
@@cillamoke they are quite cheap in the Philippines 😉
And how much history that chair meant to Filipinos too. 😊
Saying "the exact same chair" suggests that there was one chair they all used which clearly was not the case. The same style of chair however, would work.
Well, "they were sitting on some chair' would not have caught enough "interest", I suppose. We are the living proof of it 😁
Implies not infers
@@wolfgangdevries127 Same type of chair.
It's a must in the 80’s and 90's that the winner for a beauty pageant here in the Philippines should sit in the Peacock Chair for pictorial after the crowning moment. Having these rattan and bamboo furnitures was common back then, cheaper and it's suitable to our tropical climate. I still have my grandmother rocking chair. 🇵🇭❤️👍❤️!
I'm Filipino and seeing the chair in the thumbnail, I'm like "I know that chair". Amazing history I bet millions of Filipinos have never heard of. I didn't until this video.
same that's why I click the video
Rattan was the business my grandparents had back then. Their business boomed so that it brought them great fortune. Unfortunately, a foreigner (forgot if it was Chinese or another asian nationality) came to their factory and learned how to make sala sets. He flew back to his country with the knowledge he acquired and started his own business. They offered more affordable prices and that drew costumers in. My grandparent's business started to receive lower orders, eventually, they stopped producing rattan chairs, sala sets, and rocking chairs. My relatives, siblings of my grandmother, can still create these pieces up until now.
As an extra bonus, they even managed to get Dakila’s album cover in there as part of the story; love that band and album!!
omg same hahaha. my grandparents have those
@@greentree2526 This is why i like japenese wisdom, teach a person who has better trust to not steal your own masterpiece even if it take decades
when i was starting to learn photography, people would say “add texture to your shot”, and that chair adds and lot of texture
Alexis boom
Just wondering, would it also be used to create a sort of frame within a frame look?
Very throne like chair.
Sent here by Napoleon's hand...
Yep
Same
same
Same. We got played.
@@Valerioraschiamare yep
We're still producing peacock chairs every single day in our rattan factory in Indonesia. In fact, we shipped out a whole container just today to France. Funny to look back at the history of a chair I see almost every day. The trend is far from over! The last few weddings I've attended had a peacock chair as a photo area.
I just hear "creeeeeeeek" whenever I see a wicker chair
You can also hear Kaboom! if a overweight person sits in a worn-out one!
I hear
Da da da dum
Click click
They're creepy and they're cookie...
Here in the Philippines, we usually called the Wicker furniture "Rattan" just because it's made of Rattan.
Mikaela Loren where I’m from rattan is sought after and very expensive
I bet u r hot
hueroski I bet u r 12
@@qasw287 inches
we call it rotan in my place
We all had peacock chairs back in the 70's and 80's. It was inexpensive and in style.
I had a plain cheap one in the 70s when I was a teen.
In the 70's my aunt had a wicker peanut chair, swinging from the ceiling by a chain.
She said she used it for making cousins
LOL!!!
My brother and sister in law had on also in a condo they owned, they didn't recommend sitting in it much, and no one very heavy , even though it was bin a beam, my brother didn't trust it, the chair was more for looks.
How many cousins did they make there?
Ew
TMI!
Let me fix that for you: "They were all sitting in similar chairs"
Hello24 what’s known..
Can you guys shut up
666 like, I will don't touch that...
Exactly. Those kinds of chairs were popular back in the day.
See, that's what got me. I literally chose this video because I thought it was odd the same chair ended up being everywhere. I was dupped.... Same STYLE, different CHAIR. Lame
me, a filipina, when i clicked on this video: "this looks so familiar"
vox, a few minutes later: "the first photo from 1914 comes from the philippines"
me: OH THAT'S WHY
Cara Angeline Oliver Yaaaaas. Saaaaame HAHAHAHAHA
Saaaaame!
Exactly! The weaving pattern is so ubiquitous in traditional filipino fueniture making
True! This is part of the Filipino psyche. I recognized this chair right away from the thumbnail. At some point in the past I have seen or even sat on this chair. Oh, the feels.
Same thoughts here!
My mom had the same chair in our living room. My brothers and I would use the chair as a prop for interviews whenever we played wrestling. I was always Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat 🤙🏼
The EXACT same chair? lol
Glad to hear the Philippines played a significant role on this tremendous pop culture trend ❤
I was also shocked when Bilibid was mentioned.
“ Cher on a chair”
Cheir(2)
Should've been the name of the album
Sitting over there
With her shoulders bare
And long curly hair
And dressed with flair
With fabric to spare
In her lair
Just for a dare
While avoiding the glare
And any stray bear
With claws that might tear
Her floral wear
While she sits in her chair
That's Cher.
So beware
Have a care
Don't stare
And go elsewhere
By stair
Or riding on a mare
You feed with a pear
Or pay for a bus fare
It's only fair
And not all that rare.
Don't forget to share
With your heir
And don't despair
Or step in a snare
Or have a scare
From a legionnaire
And his bugle blare
Tell the commissionaire
To make him aware
Of the Corsair
Flying in the air
To meet Cher
Sitting in her chair
@@gilgameshofuruk4060 so great. you win the internets today ;'D
@@JoDee172 Thank you.
The peacock chair gives the sitter a Halo, probably why it's "picturesque".
I see that
i agree
Underrated comment!
Exactly what I was thinking as well! It also sort of looks like you're in front of a colourless, glassless stained-glass window from a gothic cathedral. Definitely very pretty.
Very interesting history. Though I'm not a historian, I am a visual person and I am inclined to add my interpretation of why this type of chair has such a popularity in photography, particularly of musicians .... it's a great way of framing a person to make them seem important but also down to earth or accessible at the same time. Great paintings often benefit from frames that provide some separation from the surrounding room. A good frame helps draw the viewer in to the painting without attracting much attention to itself. Likewise, a musician wants their album cover to lure people in, to make the musician look elevated and important. These wicker chairs do just that - provide a decorative frame around the individual, provide a focal point, that makes the subject seem slightly regal, without the pretension of a traditional throne or the heaviness of a solid chair of similar design.
My dad had this chair in our garage for so many years. I knew it existed but never appreciated it. He originally had it in his house in the 1970s with my mom. When I moved into my house many years later, I called him and asked if it was around. He said yes and it is now the focal point of my sun room. I found it’s matching bookcase a few states away this month for $40. I love it! They are made exceptionally well.
This was fascinating. One of those things you’ve seen a million times, but never really. considered. Well done piece of cultural history.
“Exact”. You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.
They are all peacock chairs
That would be-
This same style of chair
@@julieholland2165 I totally understand what she meant during that sentence. But I also knew people would be thrown off by the statement. As someone who new "exactly" what she was trying to communicate, I still think it was a poor choice of words.
Not a big deal at the end of the day though.
Cabby Cabby Or ‘same’. Even if each chair shown was no different from the others, the chairs would be identical, not the same. ‘The same’ means the one and only. That’s what I thought when I read title-that all these shots had been taken in the same chair. You know, the *same* chair.
You could say she wasn't exactly right haha XD!
I'm from the Philippines and I'm shocked that this all leads to my country. I'll def get one that is locally made.
I remember someone told me that the "peacock chair" was actually a throne chair design from pre-colonial Philippines --- the large fan design at the back made the rajah of the tribe stand out. Unfortunately I don't have any proof that it was true, but I do remember the design was based off a pre-colonial Filipino throne, hence the impact of the design is so eye-catching. In any case, the reference of the old Bilibid Prison here in Manila blew me away.
Literally everyone had this chair in my family when I was younger. My teddy bear even had one.
You had a really cool looking teddy bear then!
Omg sameee it was my chair till I grew and put my stuffed animals on it
We had one of these in our basement! I had no idea it was so popular in the past.
OMG my teddy bear also had one !! :)
No old black mom/auntie photo is complete without it lol
The iron throne is just a peacock chair made of swords.
kyandeiai OMG
The peacock chair is just a throne made of wicker.
I bet that chafes.
You hit it right on the nail. This is why the peacock chair is so popular when it comes to the photography industry. It looks like a throne.
The peacock chair of thrones
I remember sitting in one of these chairs back in my childhood. I didn't know this chair was famous worldwide. It was common here in The Philippines back in the 80s and 90s
I have a peacock chair from the 70s! It fits perfectly with my bohemian style and reminds me of old photos of my parents when they were dating. I plan to pass it down to my future kids and possibly use it as a sweetheart chair at my wedding!
This chair was a staple in every Haitian Person’s wedding photos prior to 1990.
Hey, is that where 'Haitan Divorce' (Steely Dan) is derived from?
Wasn't it used in every baby shower until like 5 years ago?
@Generally Jotay I was literally about to say this lol
🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹
They are used for sweet 16's, baby showers, and weddings here in the U.S. as well. It gives me 70's-80's vibes lol. Super cool chair though
To this day, my country, the Philippines still make Peacock wicker chairs.
are you the bent neck lady 🙃
@@HaveRandomQuestionsi don't get it
@@cryztalqueer Iyung profile pic mo raw, nagmumukhang bali kay Kuya. Hehe
@@jlhabitan50 kala ko ano
@@cryztalqueer ghost yan sa Haunting of Hill House.
This video is so stunning. The use of archival materials and seemless transitions between historical movements and figures is something i hope to demonstrate in my work as a history student. This is TOP NOTCH rhetorical work. Brava
My mom and I had an 80s photo session with one of these chairs back when I was a kid, lol
Am from the Philippines, and at my Lola's house, we have that peacock chair two for single seater and one a sofa like, never knew about the album covers incorporating them
FYI: “Exact chair” and “exact same type of chair” mean two completely different things. Just sayin’...
True
Literally ;)
My Christening’s photoshoot consisted in me sitting on this exact type of chair with a tiny bonnet, what’s more interesting though, is that I was born on 2003.
This chair was in every home practically in the 80s.....its a classic.
I'm dominican and this chair SCREAMS "Oldschool Babyshower" to me.
You capitalized the word scream, so i know you're screaming.
@@robertraymond762 exactly
Exactly lol
Hahahaha yes!
Word! Haitian here
The reason it made a comeback in the late 60's to mid 70's is because there was a HUGE retro fad going on around that time. Old Hollywood, 20's/30's Art Deco, 50's rock 'n' roll, etc, were all super fashionable and popular.
There's even a Life magazine article from (I think) 197, all about it.
Lots of people took their photos in this type of chair back in the 70s and 80s. Even graduates. It was very common.
Love those wicker furnitures. We had them all over the house growing up. It's just so comfy.
I loved the Addams Family as a kid and kept begging my parents for "the chair" everytime my birthday came around but for some reason they refused Years later when my mom got ill someone gave her a small teddy bear in a peacock chair as a gift and I commented on it She said "Y'know, we should have given you one of those chairs" It took her almost dying to acknowledge the power of the chair! ( btw I never even knew it was called a peacock chair til this vid) Thank you I learned a lot and enjoyed the old album covers☺
My grandma bought one for that reason and it still sits in her living room as "the Morticia chair" 😂
@@AdeleEevee Cool☺
3:15 , this one is for the boys back home
Perky
My grandma had one when I was a kid. They were common. There answered all your questions
All of my relatives who lived and grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s had portraits in ‘that chair’
it’s also in every hispanic baby shower
its also made in mexico and other central american countries with local materials!
bobabooty it was also in the album in chalino sanchez Nieves De Enero
And every house in american ghetto in the 80 thru The early 90's
Any big party
Because in colonial period of my country Philippines. Filipino brought that to America via Manila-Acapulco Galleon.. And some of Filipino, settled in America since 16th century...
These chairs were very popular.
My parents had two in the 1970s.
I was in your house today
I never realized how much this chair was in my entire consciousness throughout my whole life. This just blew my mind. 🤯 This is why I’m subscribing. 👍🏾
One of my family's close friends has one of these chairs in his basement filled with old stuff and I've always found it to be a really interesting piece of furniture that made me look mightier than I was, it really did feel like a piece of history and looks like it is!
I've work at a record store for many years and I saw a lot of those album covers and thought what's up with that chair? Now I know. Thanks 🙂
Peacock chair: *exists*
1920s people: *MaJeStIc*
The shape of the chair is so what like a throne. I can only imagine that was why it was used so often.
I’m so glad this was made! I always wondered what the hype was w these chairs!!!
Next week: How "goat carts" became "Go-Karts"
Up vote to make it happen!
@@rluna727 There ain't no upvote features here, big ringo.
@@rluna727 it's called a 'like' beg rigo
It's going to be hilarious to watch your faces on the day your generation suddenly discovers that purely semantic arguments don't actually carry any weight. So much wasted labor! How embarrassing all around. (Edit: No, I am not referring to goat carts>>go-karts. Puns have value.)
@@anne-droid7739 Why would we all suddenly learn this lesson?
This was the grown folks' chair that the kids weren't allowed to sit or play on growing up.
My grandparents had a peacock chair. Growing up, it was kind of a tradition for us grandkids to have our picture taken sitting in it whenever we'd visit.
I always thought of it as a cobra chair, but peacock makes more sense.
I remember loads of people having these chairs in the 80s and I want one now after watching this video!
I knew this chair as “the baby shower chair”
The fact you pick up on these things is amazing, for creatives going through the past help understand the symbols of communicating a status or symbol of power.
Asa child of the 80s, we had this chair. It was everywhere. Along with the decorative horse hair fans and oversized wooden forks and spoons.
@Megan Burson 🤣🤣 the copper ones? Holy shyt, thanks for reminding me of that. Ahhh. Memories.
@Megan Burson 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Woooow
I had one in the 90s. Loved it
This is just brilliant! I can imagine the level of research conducted!
I had a peacock chair for my barbie dolls when I was little!
This Chair was pictured in my Family, & every other "Black" Household I knew from the 70's & 80's..
Thank you so much for the unique style of content
Grew up in the 70's and 80's with these. Now I want one!
2:00 and this
*T H I N G*
3:15 And these... Things.
Filipino here and I have sat in many times with this kind of chair in so many households way back in the 80s.
in my country that type of chair is a must-have for every studio
My parents had one when I was growing up. We called it the ‘Morticia Chair’ after Morticia Addams from the 60s version of The Addams Family. 😂
I LOVE the Addams Family tv show and was waiting for someone to make that comment
I scrolled all the way down until I found someone commenting on The Addam's Family.
And the actual designer of this chair has been lost in the mists of history.
I'm a Pilipino and I didn't know that my country is the contributor of that particular chair. And then I suddenly realize that I, too, had a studio photos from childhood sitting on that chair. Thank you.
This was a great documentary. I never even gave it a thought before. And I have many album covers, from different countries too, with this type of chair on it.
Everyone I knew as a child had one of these chairs. It is surprising how comfortable they are to sit in. I wish we still had our chair. It was fun to sit as a child. I think I should get one again. Thanks this was fun.
Swear! We had one and, I have a few pictures of my Dad (R.I.P.❤️) sitting in it. I am now on a quest to find one!
@@shebeendope2322 good for you .... I wish you luck and thank you 👍🙋♀️
When a chair gets more fame than you.
No one:
Literally you: "then"
No one:
Literally me: "than"
My grand parentmhadmthem... Never like if
@Cadomi "...more fame then [than] you."
It can have the fame
c: I don’t want fame anyways.
Not only celeb butts, but our family has many old photos of my mom, day, and granny sitting in those kind of chairs back in 60s and 70s as well.
Amazing! I need to find this chair for my album cover!
Vox: What video should we make?
Also Vox: b i g c h a i r
No one:
Vox: What video should we make?
Also: Lets just rip off yet another Stuff You Should Know podcast a week or two after they post their well researched work. It's BRILLIANT!!!
As a very impressional teenager, Emmanuelle sitting on a Peacock Chair had a huge impact on me!
I really enjoy these videos. This channel is amazing. Thank you for the content!
We have a series of family pictures on this thing! love it!
“Perhaps because it makes everyone sitting in it look really cool”
*Proceeds to close the video on an amazingly awkward counterexample*
Maybe because everyone had a wicker chair
Yes that is the joke...
thatsthejoke.jpg
Expectancy: some eccentric people used It And It became a meme
But in reality, what a ride!
Vox again making amazing content out of a Lot of research and work to answer questions that I didn' knew I needed answers, and added much to my viewpoint of the world.
Yesterday I saw one here. And made me recall this video
Very well done. Thanks!
editor has to relax a bit. let us digest the images a little longer.
Play at half speed haha
as a non english speaker, my brain has to decide in a nanosecond if it will grasp the spoken information in its full or see the imagery.
It’s still fast at half speed
You guys are slow
Never imagined you here my MTG buddy!
I know by the looks of that rattan, that the Philippines will be in this mini docu.
Same thought. However, I did not expect the Bilibid part.
@@hijodelsoldeoriente same
I was a pre-teen in the early 70's. My sister-in-law then, (9 years older than me), had a white one with a lot of wicker 'curly ques' woven into the design. It was gorgeous. She and my brother divorced and I never saw it again. But I fell in love with that chair and vowed that one day I would have one. Fast forward 40 years and, one day while looking at a regional buy and sell website, I found one, for sale, by people living in Austin Texas. My son was living in Austin at that time. I purchased the chair and then called my Son for him to go and get it. It was very similar to the one on the album covers. A couple years later, I found another one listed in the inventory of a yard sale. It was huge! The fan back from left to right measured at a full 4 feet wide! The yard sale was also in the Austin Area. I called the number, in the add, and found out that the yard sale had been called off due to bad weather. I called my son and told him I was coming, and I needed him to help me get it. I jumped in the car and headed out. We got that chair! I was so excited, and as much as I loved those chairs neither had the 'curley ques' I remembered from my ex-sister-in-law's chair. Then, one day I remembered the in-law had purchased her chair from an emport company called Peir -n- 1Emports. That company still exists today. So for years I would check the Pier-n-1 web site every single week, without fail, in the hopes that they would once again offer it. Then one day, about 3 - 4 years ago I went on the sight and I asked for wicker and -- bam! -- there it was! Not only a real peacock chair, but it had all the 'curley ques'. I just sat there, staring at it in disbelief. I called the local store and they had one! I paid for it over the phone and picked it up at the store. I finally had the chair that I wanted. I have all of them and they sit on a glass porch I have behind my house. Every time I walk out onto my porch and I see those chairs, I feel pure satisfaction. My Son laughs when he sees them, as he recalls the memories of my getting them with his help. It is the little things in life that are the best.
My parents had one! I wish I still had it. Would look great on the deck.
Y’all saved the best for last!! I seriously was seconds away from being disturbed that the iconic image of Huey from the black panthers hadn’t been shown once. But y’all didn’t let me down!!! Great job!
06:25: I have a copy of the Huey Newton poster. Still powerful.✊🏿
Amazing piece. Love it.
Cardassian: There is one EXACT chair. There has always been only one chair.
Crying Picard: There are FOUR chairs!
yeah, nice TNG ref. I'd like to think Orwell would approve. Dutschke's "long march through the institutions" has been a stunning success? it has even come for Roddenberry's legacy, alas :(
“The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”