Anglo Indian Rocking Chair
Mid-20th Century American Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Hardwood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Teak
Late 20th Century Pakistani Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Indian Moorish Beds and Bed Frames
Wood
People Also Browsed
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Game Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights a...
Brass
2010s Belgian Modern Club Chairs
Linen
2010s Mexican American Craftsman Center Tables
Hardwood, Oak
Vintage 1940s Persian Flush Mount
Brass
20th Century Indian Chairs
Bone, Wood
Vintage 1930s American Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
Bamboo, Wicker
Antique Late 19th Century European Victorian Rocking Chairs
Wood, Beech
Vintage 1930s American American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Straw, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Rustic Beds and Bed Frames
Wood
Early 20th Century Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Wood
20th Century American American Classical Beds and Bed Frames
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Regency Beds and Bed Frames
Cane, Wood
Antique 19th Century American Adirondack Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Recent Sales
Vintage 1970s British Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Hardwood
20th Century English Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century English Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century English Anglo-Indian Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Hardwood
Finding the Right rocking-chairs for You
The phrase “rocking chair” didn’t find its way into the dictionary until the mid-18th century. While most of the sitting furniture that we use in our homes originated in either England or France, the iconic rocking chair is a quintessentially American piece of furniture.
A Philadelphia cabinetmaker’s bill for a proto-rocking chair issued in 1742, which identified the seat as a “Nurse Chair with rockers,” is the earliest surviving evidence of this design’s humble beginnings. The nurse chair was a low side chair intended for nursing women, so giving it a soothing rocking motion made sense. Rocking chairs, which saw a curved slat affixed to the chairs’ feet so that they could be literally rocked, quickly gained popularity across the United States, garnering a reputation as a seat that everyone could love. They offered casual comfort without the expensive fabrics and upholstery that put armchairs out of many families’ budgets.
Rocking chairs are unique in that they don’t just offer a place to rest — they offer an opportunity to reminisce. The presence of one of these classic pieces stirs up our penchant for nostalgia and has the power to transform a space. They easily introduce a simple country feel to the city or bring the peaceful rhythm of a porch swing into a sheltered sunroom. Although craftsmen took to painting and stenciling varieties of the chairs that emerged in New England during the 19th century, the most traditional rocking chairs are generally unadorned seats constructed with time-tested materials like wood and metal. As such, a minimalist vintage rocking chair can be ushered into any corner of your home without significantly disrupting your existing decor scheme or the room’s color palette.
In the decades since the first rocker, top designers have made the piece their own. Viennese chair maker Michael Thonet produced a series of rockers in the middle of the 19th century in which the different curved steam-bent wood parts were integrated into fluid, sinuous wholes. Mid-century modernists Charles and Ray Eames added wooden rockers to their famous plastic shell armchair, while Danish designer Frank Reenskaug opted for teak and polished beech, introducing pops of color with small cushions (a precursor to the bold works that would follow in the 1970s and 1980s).
No matter your personal style, let 1stDibs pair you with your perfect seat. Deck out your porch, patio or parlor — browse the vintage, new and antique rocking chairs in our vast collection today.