Though the argument could be made for Eero Arnio’s “Ball Chair,” the coolest chair of all time is the “Manila” or “Philippine,” better-known-as the wicker peacock chair.

The chairs which originally came into vogue in the United States in the early 20th Century when they were imported from the Phillipines, became a staple for photography studios as well as parlors and smoking rooms in wealthy homes. The throne-like chair, made of sturdy but lightweight material, was valued for its exotic look.

In the first half of the 20th Century, the chair was often associated with Hollywood celebrities who were regularly photographed in them. In the latter half of the Century, it came to be associated with hipster youth, as well as the Black Power movement—thanks to a very popular poster photograph of Huey P. Newton.
 

 
Today, many people associate the chair with Morticia Addams of the Addams Family, many often describing the peacock chair as a “Morticia Addams chair.”
 

 
The chair has been a part of our pop cultural landscape for over 100 years and according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, it’s seeing a resurgence in popularity.

The peacock chair can make anyone look absolutely regal. Even Al Di Meola.

Enjoy, here, this treasury of wicker peacock cool:
 

Marc Bolan
 

Al Green
 

Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO with Easter Bunny
 

Al Di Meola
 

Brigitte Bardot
 

You can never have enough Bardot
 

Bette Davis
 

Cat Power
 

Diana Ross
 

Dolly Parton
 

Francoise Hardy
 

Jasper Johns
 

Katherine Hepburn
 

Elizabeth Taylor
 

Norma Talmadge
 

Robert Plant
 

The Strawberry Alarm Clock
 

Truman Capote
 

George Clinton, Funkadelic
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Cradle yourself in retro-futurist comfort: Eero Aarnio’s Ball Chair