Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
1930s Slovak Vienna Secession Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Rattan, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Rattan, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Vienna Secession Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Chrome, Metal, Steel
Mid-20th Century Victorian Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Bamboo, Cane, Bentwood
Late 20th Century Unknown Bauhaus Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Chrome
20th Century English Victorian Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Rattan
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Victorian Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Upholstery, Bentwood
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Romanian Bohemian Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech
Late 20th Century European Space Age Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Brass
Mid-20th Century Spanish Art Nouveau Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Korean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Bamboo, Cane
20th Century Austrian French Provincial Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Steel
1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech, Bentwood
1960s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Leather, Plywood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech, Leather
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Upholstery, Beech
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Oak, Bentwood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Rattan, Beech
1970s Italian Bohemian Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech, Oak
1970s Canadian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Metal, Aluminum
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
20th Century Art Nouveau Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood
1960s German Bauhaus Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Chrome
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Bentwood
1970s German Minimalist Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Chrome
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Austrian Vienna Secession Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Oak
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
1950s French Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Brass
20th Century European Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Brass
20th Century American Folk Art Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Ash
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
Late 20th Century American Classical Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
1930s French Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Bentwood
1970s Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wicker
Mid-20th Century American Vienna Secession Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Cane, Bentwood
1930s Polish Vienna Secession Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Beech, Bentwood, Cane
1950s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood
1930s Czech Art Deco Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Fabric, Wood
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wicker
Mid-20th Century Spanish Vienna Secession Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair
Wood, Cane
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Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Vintage Thonet Rocking Chair?
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To identify a Thonet rocking chair, look for the company name. You will normally find it stamped directly onto the underside of the seat, arms or legs. You can find a collection of expertly vetted Thonet rocking chairs on 1stDibs.
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