Campaign 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.
1950s French Vintage Campaign Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Campaign Chairs
Brass, Bronze, Steel
1890s English Antique Campaign Chairs
Maple
Mid-20th Century Pakistani Campaign Chairs
Brass
1960s French Vintage Campaign Chairs
Brass, Bronze, Steel
Mid-20th Century British Campaign Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Campaign Chairs
Brass
1890s English Antique Campaign Chairs
Brass
1970s Vintage Campaign Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Campaign Chairs
Brass
2010s Campaign Chairs
Chrome
2010s American Campaign Chairs
Leather, Cord, Wenge
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Campaign Chairs
Textile, Wood
Early 20th Century Campaign Chairs
Iron
19th Century English Antique Campaign Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Chairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Campaign Chairs
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Campaign Chairs
Cane, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Campaign Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
2010s American Campaign Chairs
Cord, Leather, Oak
20th Century Unknown Campaign Chairs
Metal
1970s American Vintage Campaign Chairs
Metal
1960s French Vintage Campaign Chairs
Straw, Oak
Mid-20th Century Unknown Campaign Chairs
Brass
20th Century French Campaign Chairs
Wood
1940s French Vintage Campaign Chairs
Velvet, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique Campaign Chairs
Beech
1880s English Antique Campaign Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
1890s English Antique Campaign Chairs
Brass
1930s Pakistani Vintage Campaign Chairs
Leather, Teak
1960s Unknown Vintage Campaign Chairs
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Campaign Chairs
Brass
1940s French Vintage Campaign Chairs
Leather, Bamboo
1950s English Vintage Campaign Chairs
Bamboo
Early 20th Century French Campaign Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Campaign Chairs
Brass, Iron
20th Century Unknown Campaign Chairs
Metal
19th Century English Antique Campaign Chairs
Pine
20th Century French Campaign Chairs
Wood
Early 20th Century French Campaign Chairs
Metal
1970s American Vintage Campaign Chairs
Metal
1960s French Vintage Campaign Chairs
Straw, Boxwood
1990s American Campaign Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Leather
1980s Italian Vintage Campaign Chairs
Leather, Beech
Mid-20th Century English Campaign Chairs
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Chairs
Mahogany
1980s Vintage Campaign Chairs
Leather, Wool, Wood