Campaign Rocking Chairs
Sometimes called “knock-down” furniture, campaign furniture was designed to be folded, collapsed, taken apart and packed flat to load onto a ship or a camel’s back. Although mobile furniture for military campaigns dates back to the Romans, the British Army in its global conquests in the 18th and 19th centuries defined the style with sturdy and elegant pieces. Even in a tent thousands of miles from London, a four-poster bed, dining table and seating could simulate the comforts of home.
Antique and vintage campaign-style furniture was also initially designed as propaganda. The mahogany and teak structures were part of a purposeful demonstration of power in these campaigns, with the colonizing military officers imposing their culture and view of what they considered “civilized” on a given land and its peoples. Designers and manufacturers including Thomas Butler, Ross & Co. of Dublin, and Morgan & Sanders contributed to the rapid production of this furniture as the British Empire expanded through Africa, Asia and Australia.
Campaign furniture was utilitarian as well as refined, fitted with recessed brass handles and brass angles on stackable chests and other case pieces to protect vulnerable corners. The Wellington chest was one of the most famous pieces to come out of this style, named for the Duke of Wellington, who slept in his campaign bed long after his battles were over.
The flexibility of campaign-style furniture would influence 20th-century Scandinavian modernists such as Kaare Klint, Mogens Koch and Arne Norell. For his 1930s Safari chair, Klint drew on the simple Roorkhee chair, named for a town in northern India. The lightweight and adaptable campaign-style seat was created in the late 19th century and had no fixed joinery. The Roorkhee’s influence can also be seen in the Wassily chair, a pared-down work of tubular metal and durable canvas conceived by legendary Bauhaus instructor Marcel Breuer.
Now, 21st-century designers like Jomo Tariku and Dokter and Misses are creating pieces that recognize the contributions of African artisans to campaign furniture in order to reframe this style without overlooking its difficult past.
Find a collection of authentic antique and vintage campaign bedroom furniture, chairs, decorative objects and other pieces on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Costa Rican Campaign Rocking Chairs
Wood, Leather
Late 20th Century Campaign Rocking Chairs
Leather
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century Italian Campaign Rocking Chairs
Metal
1850s English Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Iron
Mid-19th Century German Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Austrian Campaign Rocking Chairs
Beech
19th Century English Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Yew
Early 20th Century European Campaign Rocking Chairs
Pine, Plywood
19th Century American Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Campaign Rocking Chairs
Oak
20th Century European Campaign Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Campaign Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
1980s Mexican Vintage Campaign Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Vintage Campaign Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
Late 19th Century American Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
20th Century Campaign Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Costa Rican Campaign Rocking Chairs
Leather
1960s Unknown Vintage Campaign Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Brass, Steel
1970s Costa Rican Vintage Campaign Rocking Chairs
19th Century British Antique Campaign Rocking Chairs
Brass, Iron
