Campaign Wall Decorations
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.
21st Century and Contemporary South African Campaign Wall Decorations
Zebra Hide
1960s Vintage Campaign Wall Decorations
Walnut
Early 1900s American Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Glass, Wood, Paper
1880s British Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Paper
Early 19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Paper
1910s French Vintage Campaign Wall Decorations
Paper
20th Century English Campaign Wall Decorations
Silver Leaf
20th Century English Campaign Wall Decorations
Mirror
Early 20th Century Turkish Campaign Wall Decorations
Wool
Mid-19th Century French Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Brass
Late 20th Century Chinese Campaign Wall Decorations
Brass
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Campaign Wall Decorations
Wood
Mid-20th Century Campaign Wall Decorations
Cherry
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Wall Decorations
Wood, Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Wall Decorations
Maple
19th Century French Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Paper
19th Century German Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Wood, Walnut
1870s Dutch Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Art Glass, Oak
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Oak, Pine
19th Century Italian Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Paint
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Brass
Early 20th Century Campaign Wall Decorations
Pine
Early 1900s English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Paper
1980s American Vintage Campaign Wall Decorations
Canvas, Paint
1980s American Vintage Campaign Wall Decorations
Canvas, Paint
20th Century English Campaign Wall Decorations
Silver Leaf
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Paper
19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Brass, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Campaign Wall Decorations
Wool
Mid-20th Century Italian Campaign Wall Decorations
Wool
Early 19th Century English Antique Campaign Wall Decorations
Mahogany