Campaign Nautical Objects
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.
20th Century Unknown Campaign Nautical Objects
Slate
Mid-20th Century English Campaign Nautical Objects
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Nautical Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary German Campaign Nautical Objects
Stainless Steel
1860s English Antique Campaign Nautical Objects
Linen, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Campaign Nautical Objects
Aluminum, Foil
1920s North American Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Campaign Nautical Objects
Aluminum
20th Century Campaign Nautical Objects
1930s North American Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Wood
1950s English Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Brass
1960s North American Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Wood
Early 20th Century Swedish Campaign Nautical Objects
Leather, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary French Campaign Nautical Objects
Stainless Steel
1950s American Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Wood
1970s Unknown Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Metal, Brass
19th Century British Antique Campaign Nautical Objects
Leather
19th Century English Antique Campaign Nautical Objects
Metal, Brass
1910s German Vintage Campaign Nautical Objects
Steel
1890s European Antique Campaign Nautical Objects
Teak
Late 19th Century Antique Campaign Nautical Objects
Wood
Early 20th Century English Campaign Nautical Objects
Brass
20th Century American Campaign Nautical Objects
Steel
