Adirondack Antiquities
Evoking rusticity and relaxation through simple and elegant designs, vintage Adirondack furniture originated in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern New York. The most famous piece is the Adirondack chair, which dates to 1903.
With its ample armrests and sturdy but comfortable slanted seat, the reclined Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee for his own country home. The postwar golden age of modern patio and garden furniture production — led by the likes of Brown Jordan, Knoll, Salterini and Woodard — was decades away at the time, and there were few pieces of furniture specifically created for outdoor use.
Lee, a Massachusetts-born Harvard graduate raised in a wealthy family, was no furniture designer. He merely needed a durable, rugged chair for afternoons in the sun while he was vacationing on Lake Champlain in Westport, New York, in the summer. The amateur woodworker used just one wooden plank cut into 11 segments that were jointed together for his now-legendary seat, which is said to have been made of hemlock, hickory or basswood.
The story of the Adirondack chair continues with Lee’s friend, carpenter Harry Bunnell, covertly patenting the chair and going on to produce it as the Westport Plank chair for a growing audience over the next two decades. Over a century later, the Adirondack chair has gone through several design evolutions while maintaining its popularity and basic form with slats of wood such as pine offering comfort both indoors and out.
The widespread demand for rustic Adirondack outdoor furniture was bolstered by the turn-of-the-century establishment of rural escapes to treat diseases such as tuberculosis. The low-slung Adirondack chair became common in these places of convalescence, allowing patients to recline and breathe in the country air. It also complemented the camp-style architecture that was prevalent in the Adirondacks for recreation as well as restoration, where rugged furniture with exposed wood and minimal carving filled interiors and wide porches.
Today, Adirondack chairs are made in a range of materials and can be found around the world, from ski resorts to lakeside piers, their durability and classic form making them an enduring favorite for spending time in nature.
Find vintage Adirondack chairs, benches, lounge chairs, decorative objects, folk art and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Pewter
20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Zinc
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Bentwood
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Stone
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Copper
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Brass
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
20th Century Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Alabaster, Marble
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Sheet Metal
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wire
1930s American Vintage Adirondack Antiquities
Metal
Mid-18th Century Danish Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
Late 20th Century Unknown Adirondack Antiquities
Copper
Early 20th Century French Adirondack Antiquities
Fur, Leather
Early 19th Century English Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Metal
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
1940s American Vintage Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
1930s Danish Vintage Adirondack Antiquities
Pewter
1880s American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
Early 20th Century Canadian Adirondack Antiquities
Softwood
Early 20th Century Swiss Adirondack Antiquities
Metal
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Pewter
19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood
1920s American Vintage Adirondack Antiquities
Wool
Early 20th Century American Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Adirondack Antiquities
Wood