Rocking Chairs
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Naugahyde, Wood
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1990s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Ash
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Bentwood, Oak
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Maple
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
Early 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Steel, Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wire
1950s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Bentwood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Canvas
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch, Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Maple
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome, Metal, Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Hide, Alpaca, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Beech
20th Century Industrial Rocking Chairs
Metal
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Walnut, Leather
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome, Metal
2010s Slovenian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Rush, Pine
1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
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.