Campaign Lounge 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.
1960s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
20th Century Pakistani Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Metal
1960s European Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Wicker, Rattan
Early 20th Century Scottish Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
2010s Campaign Lounge Chairs
Chrome
1950s Hong Kong Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
1960s Unknown Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Metal
19th Century Canadian Antique Campaign Lounge Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century English Campaign Lounge Chairs
Leather
1960s French Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Late 20th Century Campaign Lounge Chairs
Wood
2010s American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1950s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
1950s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Rattan
Late 20th Century Danish Campaign Lounge Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
1990s Swedish Campaign Lounge Chairs
Wicker, Rattan
2010s Mexican Campaign Lounge Chairs
Steel
1950s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
1970s Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Velvet
1990s American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Cotton, Wood, Down
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Upholstery
1950s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Upholstery, Rattan
1950s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
Late 20th Century Campaign Lounge Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century English Campaign Lounge Chairs
Cowhide, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Campaign Lounge Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
1980s American Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs
Leather, Wood
Early 20th Century Campaign Lounge Chairs
Leather, Teak
1990s Unknown Campaign Lounge Chairs
Mahogany, Leather
1960s German Vintage Campaign Lounge Chairs
Canvas, Bentwood