Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
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.
1970s Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Mahogany
1960s American Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Pearwood
Early 20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1970s American Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1970s Unknown Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century North American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Hardwood, Oak
Mid-20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Late 20th Century Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Bamboo, Rattan, Wood
Late 20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Metal
Early 20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Zinc
Late 20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
Late 19th Century British Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Other
1970s American Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Faux Leather
1920s English Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1950s English Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Silver Plate
20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Yew
Mid-20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1840s Chinese Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Mid-20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
19th Century American Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
19th Century English Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Early 20th Century Turkish Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wool
Mid-20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Bamboo
1870s French Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Hardwood
1980s Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Iron
Mid-20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
1960s Spanish Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass, Stainless Steel
1960s English Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century European Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Early 1900s English Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century Indian Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1880s American Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Rattan, Wood
1820s English Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
1930s English Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
20th Century European Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Metal
1880s English Antique Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1960s American Vintage Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood
20th Century English Campaign More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass