Early 20th Century Animal Skin Rocking Chairs
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Swedish Folk Art Rocking Chairs
Pine, Sheepskin
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Rocking Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Brass
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Vintage 1910s American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Leather, Bentwood
Vintage 1910s Italian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Leather, Beech
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
2010s French Modern Side Tables
Wood, Elm
2010s Table Lamps
Iron
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Cord, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile, Wood
Mid-20th Century Belgian Dining Room Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Organic Modern Chandeliers and ...
Copper, Brass
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Mohair, Velvet, Oak
Early 2000s North American Mission Bookcases
Cherry
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Daybeds
Sheepskin, Wool, Oak
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Travertine
2010s British Scandinavian Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Sheepskin, Oak
Vintage 1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Daybeds
Wool, Pine
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Rocking Chairs
Oak
Vintage 1970s Italian Brutalist Dining Room Tables
Concrete, Metal
Recent Sales
Vintage 1920s American Modern Rocking Chairs
Cowhide
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Antique Early 1900s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather
Early 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Late Victorian Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Antique Early 1900s English Late Victorian Rocking Chairs
Leather
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Wood, Oak, Leather
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century North American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Rocking Chairs
Leather, Bentwood
Antique Early 1900s American Industrial Children's Furniture
Metal
Antique Early 1900s North American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Leather
Antique Early 1900s British Rustic Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
Antique Early 1900s North American Mission Rocking Chairs
Leather, Maple
Early 20th Century American Country Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1920s American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Vintage 1920s American Mission Rocking Chairs
Oak, Leather
Early 20th Century American American Craftsman Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Antique Early 1900s British Rocking Chairs
Leather
Early 20th Century English Rocking Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1920s American American Craftsman Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century European Modern Rocking Chairs
Iron
Early 20th Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Wood, Leather
Early 20th Century Unknown Rocking Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century American Rocking Chairs
Leather
Early 20th Century Club Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century Animal Skin Rocking Chairs For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Early 20th Century Animal Skin Rocking Chairs?
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.