Cast-Iron Furniture

Introduced to the American Public around 1840, the earliest cast-iron furniture was made by foundries specializing in architectural ironwork. Unlike wrought iron, which is heated in a forge and hammered by hand, cast-iron is made by pouring  molten metal into molds, a process that makes it easier to create fluid and intricate shapes. It was logical that the same technology that was already yielding elaborate columns, fences and gates could also be used to mass-produce furnishings for the home and garden. Individual furniture parts were turned out from molds, then assembled and bolted together into completed pieces.

The first cast iron furniture in America was made for outdoor use in parks, cemeteries, and gardens. The casting process permitted all manner of organic forms, which made the furniture particularly suited to the romantic or "picturesque" garden that was popular during much of the 1800s. Designed to blend in with the natural, wild look of these gardens, the chairs, tables, and settees - usually painted green - sprouted iron grapevines, ferns, and morning-glories. In the same spirit, pieces grew gnarled - root feet and branches in imitation of the rustic wood furniture that was also in vogue during the Victorian period.

Around 1985, cast-iron  furniture for indoor use was introduced. The designs  imitated those of wooden furniture  in a variety of Victorian styles, and the pieces were usually painted black or bronze. One especially popular furnishing for the home was the hat-and-umbrella stand, which fitted with hooks for hanging coats, bonnets, umbrellas, and walking sticks, was placed in the foyer. Like cast-iron garden pieces, these "hall trees" also featured such appropriate embellishment as branches and leaves, and were often fitted with mirrors.