Rocking Chairs
Late 19th Century American American Craftsman Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood, Oak
Late 20th Century American American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Walnut
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker
1920s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Other Rocking Chairs
Laminate
Early 20th Century Italian Campaign Rocking Chairs
Metal
1940s Philippine Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Walnut, Upholstery
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
19th Century Italian Antique Rocking Chairs
Fruitwood, Upholstery
1860s Austrian Baroque Antique Rocking Chairs
Velvet, Wood
Mid-20th Century European Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Cane, Bentwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
20th Century American Rustic Rocking Chairs
Iron
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Other, Steel
Mid-20th Century American American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Reed, Oak
Mid-20th Century Romanian Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s Italian Bauhaus Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1950s Scandinavian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rattan
Mid-20th Century Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
Early 20th Century Spanish Art Deco Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Vienna Secession Antique Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Late 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Beech
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wire
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Ash
1950s Danish Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel, Chrome
19th Century American American Craftsman Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood
2010s American Modern Rocking Chairs
Cut Steel
1870s British Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Oak
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
1940s Italian Vienna Secession Vintage Rocking Chairs
Straw, Wood
2010s Italian Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Other
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
Late 19th Century American Antique Rocking Chairs
Iron
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Rocking Chairs
Wood, Leather, Fabric, Upholstery
1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Plywood
20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Bentwood
1940s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Post-Modern Rocking Chairs
Aluminum
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1950s American Country Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1990s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Rocking Chairs
Plastic
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Beech, Oak
Mid-20th Century Finnish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Teak
1960s European Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Beech
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel
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.