Campaign Folk Art
Sometimes called “knock-down” furniture, campaign furniture was designed to be folded, collapsed, taken apart and packed flat to load onto a ship or a camel’s back. Although mobile furniture for military campaigns dates back to the Romans, the British Army in its global conquests in the 18th and 19th centuries defined the style with sturdy and elegant pieces. Even in a tent thousands of miles from London, a four-poster bed, dining table and seating could simulate the comforts of home.
Antique and vintage campaign-style furniture was also initially designed as propaganda. The mahogany and teak structures were part of a purposeful demonstration of power in these campaigns, with the colonizing military officers imposing their culture and view of what they considered “civilized” on a given land and its peoples. Designers and manufacturers including Thomas Butler, Ross & Co. of Dublin, and Morgan & Sanders contributed to the rapid production of this furniture as the British Empire expanded through Africa, Asia and Australia.
Campaign furniture was utilitarian as well as refined, fitted with recessed brass handles and brass angles on stackable chests and other case pieces to protect vulnerable corners. The Wellington chest was one of the most famous pieces to come out of this style, named for the Duke of Wellington, who slept in his campaign bed long after his battles were over.
The flexibility of campaign-style furniture would influence 20th-century Scandinavian modernists such as Kaare Klint, Mogens Koch and Arne Norell. For his 1930s Safari chair, Klint drew on the simple Roorkhee chair, named for a town in northern India. The lightweight and adaptable campaign-style seat was created in the late 19th century and had no fixed joinery. The Roorkhee’s influence can also be seen in the Wassily chair, a pared-down work of tubular metal and durable canvas conceived by legendary Bauhaus instructor Marcel Breuer.
Now, 21st-century designers like Jomo Tariku and Dokter and Misses are creating pieces that recognize the contributions of African artisans to campaign furniture in order to reframe this style without overlooking its difficult past.
Find a collection of authentic antique and vintage campaign bedroom furniture, chairs, decorative objects and other pieces on 1stDibs.
19th Century Russian Antique Campaign Folk Art
Wool
1910s French Vintage Campaign Folk Art
Wood
1890s French Antique Campaign Folk Art
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century Caucasian Campaign Folk Art
Natural Fiber, Wool
Early 19th Century European Antique Campaign Folk Art
Wood
1930s British Vintage Campaign Folk Art
Paper
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Campaign Folk Art
Pine
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Campaign Folk Art
Leather, Wood
1890s Canadian Antique Campaign Folk Art
Pine
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Campaign Folk Art
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Turkish Campaign Folk Art
Wool, Natural Fiber, Organic Material
Early 20th Century Campaign Folk Art
Iron
Late 19th Century American Antique Campaign Folk Art
Leather, Wood
20th Century American Campaign Folk Art
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century American Antique Campaign Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century Japanese Campaign Folk Art
Wood
Early 19th Century Antique Campaign Folk Art
Brass, Wrought Iron
1990s Mexican Campaign Folk Art
Paper
19th Century Sri Lankan Antique Campaign Folk Art
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Folk Art
Bronze
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Folk Art
Brass
1940s American Vintage Campaign Folk Art
19th Century Russian Antique Campaign Folk Art
Wool
