British Colonial Taxidermy
Typically made of mahogany, teak or bamboo and featuring a range of fabrics and prints with botanical patterns, antique British Colonial furniture and decor varies as it involved local materials and techniques and spanned centuries of design styles.
As the British Empire expanded from the 16th to the 20th century, its conquest and control of colonies around the world bolstered its wealth through the extraction of resources. Including colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia, this spread of often violent subjugation imposed British culture, language and faith on Indigenous peoples. The design of homes was included in this expression of imperial power, with government officials, merchants and military officers creating homes mimicking the luxuries they were used to in England.
Local artisans were commissioned to replicate British designs, resulting in versions of Regency, Chippendale, Sheraton and other styles of furniture being crafted from mahogany, rosewood, ebony and teakwood as opposed to beech and oak, which were more common in Europe. Whereas the colonial furniture for the Portuguese and Dutch regularly had motifs of indigenous flora and fauna, the British tended to want more exact reproductions of their home country’s designs.
To escape the summer heat in places such as India and the Caribbean, British colonizers relocated to airy houses in the hills or plantations, leading to foldable chairs and collapsible desks in the style of military campaign furniture. Rather than upholstery as they might have in Europe, chairs and sofas in the British Colonial style had rattan and cane seating for these higher temperature climates. The contrast between the light textiles and the dark colors of the sturdy furniture became a defining aesthetic of British Colonial interiors.
Find a collection of antique British Colonial outdoor furniture, seating, bedroom furniture, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.
20th Century African British Colonial Taxidermy
Iron
Late 19th Century Swiss Antique British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone, Wood
2010s American British Colonial Taxidermy
Feathers
Late 19th Century German Antique British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone, Wood
1960s French Vintage British Colonial Taxidermy
Antler
Late 19th Century German Antique British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary South African British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone
Late 19th Century Swiss Antique British Colonial Taxidermy
Wood, Bone
Mid-20th Century South African British Colonial Taxidermy
Horn, Lucite
20th Century British Colonial Taxidermy
Bronze
2010s American British Colonial Taxidermy
Animal Skin
Late 19th Century German Antique British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone, Wood
Mid-20th Century English British Colonial Taxidermy
Horn
Mid-20th Century African British Colonial Taxidermy
Zebra Hide, Felt
20th Century American British Colonial Taxidermy
Leather, Zebra Hide, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary South African British Colonial Taxidermy
Animal Skin
20th Century American British Colonial Taxidermy
20th Century Burundian British Colonial Taxidermy
Horn
1940s Sierra Leonean Vintage British Colonial Taxidermy
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary South African British Colonial Taxidermy
Zebra Hide
20th Century Indian British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone, Horn
20th Century Unknown British Colonial Taxidermy
Bone
20th Century Unknown British Colonial Taxidermy
Horn