The Arxiu del Regne de Mallorca has received a documentary treasure: the Can Juncosa collection, the emblematic furniture factory that marked the 20th century in the Balearic Islands. Donated by the family, this business archive gathers invoices, plans, and photographs that trace the economic and social evolution of the islands, from its beginnings to the 21st century. A legacy that shows how a local company equipped hotels, institutions, and homes, employing hundreds of workers.
From the manual saw to Mallorcan industrial design 🪵
The Can Juncosa documentary collection allows tracing the technological transition in furniture manufacturing. It includes technical plans detailing everything from artisanal assemblies to mass production processes with electric machinery. These documents reflect the adoption of industrial carpentry techniques, the use of local and foreign woods, and the standardization of pieces for the hotel sector. Accounting and personnel records offer data on the workshop's mechanization, showing how the company adapted to the demands of a growing market.
When a piece of furniture was worth more than a mortgage 🛋️
It is curious that, in the midst of the click era and papier-mâché furniture, the archive of a century-old factory makes the news. While today we decorate with furniture that seems like toys, Can Juncosa produced pieces that lasted longer than a government. The collection shows that before, people bought a wardrobe and died with it, not like now, when they change it every two moves because it can't even withstand the relocation. Ironies of progress: now we keep papers of old furniture instead of having the furniture.