Antique Boston Rockers
19th Century American Antique Boston Rockers
Maple, Pine, Hickory
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Boston Rockers
Oak
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Boston Rockers
Oak
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Cane, Wood
Early 20th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Boston Rockers
Maple
Early 19th Century American Federal Antique Boston Rockers
Maple
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Maple
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Iron
1950s American Scandinavian Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Steel
1930s Elizabethan Antique Boston Rockers
Oak
1960s American Antique Boston Rockers
Pine
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Wood, Hardwood, Leather
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Oak
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Brass
Mid-20th Century Austrian Antique Boston Rockers
Cane, Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Fabric, Walnut
Recent Sales
Mid-19th Century American American Colonial Antique Boston Rockers
Wood
1830s American American Classical Antique Boston Rockers
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century American Country Antique Boston Rockers
Pine
Mid-19th Century American Classical Antique Boston Rockers
Maple, Bentwood
1850s American Classical Antique Boston Rockers
Oak
19th Century Folk Art Antique Boston Rockers
Hardwood, Paint
19th Century American Antique Boston Rockers
Pine
19th Century American Antique Boston Rockers
19th Century American Antique Boston Rockers
19th Century American Industrial Antique Boston Rockers
Steel
1840s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Antique Boston Rockers
Birch
1840s American Antique Boston Rockers
Oak
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.
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