Rocking Chairs
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Rocking Chairs
Pine, Paint
Early 20th Century American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Cane, Maple
1970s Country Vintage Rocking Chairs
Pine
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Pine
20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bouclé, Bentwood
1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Wool, Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1940s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Rosewood, Leather
1920s Czech Vienna Secession Vintage Rocking Chairs
Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Brass
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Sheepskin
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century Campaign Rocking Chairs
Leather
Late 20th Century Pakistani Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1950s Italian Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rattan
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak
Early 20th Century Rocking Chairs
Leather, Bentwood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Metal, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Victorian Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Teak
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Leather, Rosewood
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1990s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Leather, Wood
20th Century Taiwanese Bohemian Rocking Chairs
Bamboo
Early 20th Century Italian Arts and Crafts Rocking Chairs
Fruitwood
1970s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1980s Canadian Post-Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Papercord, Beech
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Chrome
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Steel
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Oak, Ash
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
20th Century Rocking Chairs
Wood
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1980s American Vintage Rocking Chairs
Birdseye Maple
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Metal
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Teak, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Bentwood, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wire
Mid-20th Century American American Craftsman Rocking Chairs
Cane, Walnut
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Oak
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Rocking Chairs
Wrought Iron
1980s French Vintage Rocking Chairs
Fabric, 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.
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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.