Rocking Chairs
1850s English Antique Rocking Chairs
Steel
19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
Mid-19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Rocking Chairs
Mahogany
Late 19th Century British Antique Rocking Chairs
Elm
1850s American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Hardwood
19th Century Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Chestnut
Mid-19th Century English Antique Rocking Chairs
Iron
19th Century English Antique Rocking Chairs
Yew
19th Century British Colonial Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
19th Century Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Walnut
1880s British Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Steel
Late 19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1850s Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Textile, Walnut
1860s English Antique Rocking Chairs
Rush, Beech
Mid-19th Century German Belle Époque Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Twig, Wood
1860s British High Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1850s American Mid-Century Modern Antique Rocking Chairs
Steel
19th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Rocking Chairs
Brass
19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century American Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Oak
19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
1890s American Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
19th Century Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Rattan, Wood
Late 19th Century American Federal Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Rush, Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century Hungarian Art Nouveau Antique Rocking Chairs
Straw, Bentwood
Mid-19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Rush, Wood
19th Century English Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
1850s English Campaign Antique Rocking Chairs
Iron
Late 19th Century German Mid-Century Modern Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Rococo Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Oak
1820s Irish Primitive Antique Rocking Chairs
Pine
Late 19th Century American American Craftsman Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood, Oak
1850s Italian Early Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Italian Rustic Antique Rocking Chairs
Faux Fur, Walnut
Late 19th Century American Aesthetic Movement Antique Rocking Chairs
Bouclé, Wood
19th Century Antique Rocking Chairs
Ash, Elm
Late 19th Century British Antique Rocking Chairs
Ebony
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
1850s English Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Steel
1850s Unknown Antique Rocking Chairs
Chrome
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Beech
19th Century Tibetan Other Antique Rocking Chairs
Teak
19th Century North American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood
Mid-19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Metal
19th Century Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Cane, Wood
1880s Scottish Antique Rocking Chairs
Beech
Early 19th Century American Country Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
Vintage, New and Antique Rocking Chairs
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.
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How One Chair Rocked Its Way Into Hearts and History
The noted design historian explores the origins of the rocking chair, a quintessentially American piece of furniture that is still going strong after 300 years.