How this chair became a pop culture icon This moment demands more than headlines In a time of noise, confusion, and spin, we’re committed to clarity, truth, and depth — even when it’s hard.

Dismissed by some as a hippie embarrassment—or a creepy 'Addams Family' prop—the fantail-back peacock chair is entrancing new fans.

From Black Power in the ’60s to Black Lives Matter today, the peacock chair is a throne in Black culture. Jaha Nailah Avery is a writer, editor, harpist, and composer.

The Peacock swept the U.S. during the mid-20th century, after many celebrities—among them, Dolly Parton, Al Green, and Donna Summer—began using the chair as a prop in publicity shoots.

The Peacock chair is a design icon, but most people associate it with 1970s bohemian style instead of its true origins. Filipino-American designer Cheyenne Concepcion hopes to change that.

"Like a male peacock," she said, "the chair wants to be seen. It commands attention." It's done just that for over a century, periodically re-emerging in pop culture and in the cyclical world of ...