English Spindle Back Rocking Chair
Antique 1860s English Rocking Chairs
Rush, Beech
Antique Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Rocking Chairs
Oak
Antique Late 19th Century British Rocking Chairs
Elm
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Children's Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
People Also Browsed
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Quilts
Cotton
20th Century Children's Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
Vintage 1950s American Scandinavian Modern Armchairs
Steel
Antique Mid-19th Century American Children's Furniture
Leather, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Iron
Vintage 1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1960s American Rocking Chairs
Pine
Antique 19th Century American Adirondack Quilts
Cotton, Wood
Vintage 1940s American Adirondack Quilts
Cotton
Vintage 1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Brass
Antique 1870s English Victorian Models and Miniatures
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Quilts
Cotton, Art Glass, Hardwood
Early 20th Century North American Victorian Children's Furniture
Oak, Pine
Recent Sales
Antique Late 18th Century European Rocking Chairs
Ash, Elm
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Rocking Chairs
Elm
Antique Late 19th Century British Rocking Chairs
Oak
Antique 19th Century English Rocking Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
Antique 1870s English Rocking Chairs
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century English Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Antique 18th Century Rocking Chairs
Elm
Mid-20th Century English Rocking Chairs
Elm
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.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Fred Rigby’s Modular Seating Can Be Configured in So Many Handy Ways
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
This Chubby-Chic Quilted Stool Stands on Its Own Two Feet
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
Riotous Shapes and Colors Have Made Uchronia’s Designs the Toast of Paris
Julien Sebban’s energetic design collective is radically reshaping the look of 21st-century European furniture and interiors.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
Rock Your Cares Away on This Sunny Hand-Crocheted Swing
The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.