Rocking Chairs
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Rocking Chairs
Leather, Oak
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
20th Century European Other Rocking Chairs
Wood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Brass
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Textile, Walnut
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Canvas, Cotton, Teak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
1850s American Mid-Century Modern Antique Rocking Chairs
Steel
19th Century American Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Oak
Late 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Rocking Chairs
Brass
1980s Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1990s American American Craftsman Rocking Chairs
Walnut
20th Century French French Provincial Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin, Oak
1970s Ecuadorean Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Twig, Wood
Late 19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Walnut
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1960s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Teak
19th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Rocking Chairs
Brass
2010s Japanese Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1990s Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric
1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Seagrass, Oak
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century American Adirondack Antique Rocking Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
1970s Norwegian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wool, Beech
1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
1960s American Regency Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
2010s American Rocking Chairs
Steel
1920s Italian Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rope, Wood
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Walnut, Cane
1960s American Folk Art Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
Early 20th Century American Victorian Rocking Chairs
Walnut, Upholstery
1950s American Country Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Macedonian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1970s Danish Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
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.