John Widdicomb Furniture Company
The John Widdicomb Furniture Company was a furniture company best known for its bedroom furniture, which included a wide range of historical styles as well as varying contemporary American styles. The company is no longer in operation, but its impact on the furniture industry throughout its long tenure has ensured its continued popularity in the minds of vintage furniture collectors and homeowners alike.
About John Widdicomb Furniture Company
The original company was founded in the 19th century. It was a family-run business that, as its success continued, began to include more complex and varied styles to meet customer demand. During the 20th century, the company began to experiment with contemporary styles, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s when homeowners were shying away from previously popular historical revival-styles.
John Widdicomb Furniture Company History
The John Widdicomb Furniture Company Was originally founded in 1858 by George Widdicomb in Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you have been following this site for any length of time, you know that we frequently cover furniture makers from this region of the country. In fact, Grand Rapids was the home of Baker Furniture and Sligh Furniture as well.
Anyway, the first iteration of the Widdicomb company intended to produce cabinets only, but after a few years the company expanded to a larger location and began producing more types of furniture.
The first company was briefly dissolved in 1863, at a time when all four sons of the Widdicomb family were enlisted in the Civil War. After the war, the brothers decided to continue the family business by reopening the store in a much larger location. In 1873, this company would be renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company. By this time, the company had expanded to include multiple buildings and 150 employees.
Widdicomb Furniture in the 20th Century
During the next few decades, the company produced a wide range of historical Revival Styles which included Colonial revival pieces, American Empire pieces, and 18th century inspired French pieces. Honestly, the running thread through all of these different styles and models, was Widdicomb’s dedication to incredible quality. Solid cherry wood formed the basis of most of their incredible furniture. Cold weather cherry wood has a tight ring and is quite heavy, making it ideal for furniture.
In 1915, the company was sold by the Widdicomb family to new owners who merged it with the Mueller Furniture Corporation. During the next few decades, the company would expand its production to include photography cabinets and other contemporary pieces and then attempt to draw in more clientele. The historical revival pieces ceased to be produced in the late 1930s, when homeowners began to prefer more modern styles such as the “Origin Collection” designed by George Nakashima; this particular collection was a fusion of Japanese and Shaker furniture.
In 2002, the company officially went out of business. A few months after the company closed, the Stickley Company purchased the company’s name and design rights; certain Widdicomb pieces are produced by Stickley under a special collection name. The merger of Widdicomb with Stickley has cemented Widdicomb’s association with high quality and craftsmanship.
John Widdicomb Furniture Company Products
Vintage pieces from this company include bedroom furniture and dining room furniture, as well as various interior accent pieces. The most well-known pieces from this company include both its earlier historical revival pieces, its attempts to produce modern styles in the 1930s and 40s, as well as it’s more experimental pieces from the 1960s.
Of course, Widdicomb French Provincial style furniture pieces merit attention as well. Some of their bedroom furniture in the French Provincial style blows away other inferior brands that attempted the style. For instance, it is not hard to see the inferior quality of a Dixie French Provincial chest when placed next to a John Widdicomb dresser.
John Widdicomb Furniture Appraisal
John Widdicomb Furniture Appraisals will start by looking at any past sold Widdicomb dressers, chests or tables.
This vintage John Widdicomb dresser (pictured below)sold for between $600-700 in 2018.
Likewise, these lovely bachelor chests sold for between $750-900 for the pair in the same year.
Tips for Purchasing John Widdicomb Furniture Products
If you are looking to purchase vintage products from the John Widdicomb Furniture Company, you can make the process much easier by first narrowing down your search by year or design and then beginning the process of finding dealers offering vintage Widdicomb pieces. Remember to note that vintage Widdicomb pieces may have a different name depending on the exact year they were produced.
Widdicomb Furniture For Sale
John Widdicomb Furniture Company started like so many great ones in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Fine mahogany, walnut and cherry furniture by Widdicomb Furniture features solid wood construction and beautiful vintage styles. You will regularly find Widdicomb dressers, Widdicomb chests, Widdicomb tables and even Widdicomb chairs on these pages!