Peacock Outdoor Ottoman

Details

Make a statement in your outdoor area with our Peacock Outdoor Ottoman. This gorgeous, sculptural piece is the perfect complement to any outdoor space, turning any chair into an instant lounge. The weather resistant material is as durable as it is beautiful, featuring a thick, comfortable cushion upholstered in high performance fabric. So kick up your feet with the Peacock Outdoor Ottoman for an unforgettable look. Pair with the Peacock Outdoor Lounge and the rest of the Peacock Collection for an even more show-stopping aesthetic.

Editors' Note

Originally called the "Bilibid Chair," or sometimes, the "Manila Chair," the design of the iconic Peacock Chair originated in the Philippines where it was first produced for markets by the forced labor of Filipino inmates at Bilibid Prison. The "Carcel y Presidio Correccional," as the prison was known by the Spanish, changed hands along with the rest of the Philippines in 1898, when America began its colonization of the country following its defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American war. With the Americans came the concept of "Benevolent Assimilation,” as announced by President William McKinley in his 1898 executive order. An outcome of America’s “benevolence and blessing” would be the advent of the prison industrial complex as an American corporate enterprise, designed to mass produce and market goods for American consumption. It was in 1968 that the Peacock Chair, one of the most popular consumer products from Bilibid, would explode into American popular culture as the totem of the Black Power movement when Huey P. Newton, co-founder and Minister of Self-Defense of the Black Panther Party, reluctantly posed for the iconic photo in which the chair served as his de-facto throne. Following Newton's photo, the Peacock chair has since been an iconic symbol within African American culture. Said to resemble the shape of the Black Power fist, the chair became a symbol of Black pride evoked by countless creatives, including artists such as Diana Ross, Debbie Allen, Al Green and Donna Summer, who all made photographic appearances in the chair. It was featured on the cover of the 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You, by George Clinton-led funk band, Funkadelic. And in 1982, Michelle Obama posed in a Peacock Chair for pictures at her prom. Today, the Peacock Chair continues to be a cherished symbol of pride and power for Black Americans. Most recently, a version of the Bilibid chair appeared as the throne of Wakanda in both of the Black Panther movies — a high climb for a piece of furniture first depicted with a small dog seated on it in a catalog for prison-made wares. It's a symbol made even more precious through the knowledge of the people and processes that created it, and a story of oppression that closely mirrors that of the people who made it their throne.