Wingback Chairs
1810s English Regency Antique Wingback Chairs
Hardwood, Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Metal
19th Century French Antique Wingback Chairs
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Sheepskin, Wool
Late 19th Century American Georgian Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Brass
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wool, Beech
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Bouclé, Teak
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Early 1800s English George III Antique Wingback Chairs
Mahogany
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Sheepskin, Lacquer
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Bamboo, Wicker
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Nutwood
Mid-19th Century English Antique Wingback Chairs
Linen, Wood
1830s English Antique Wingback Chairs
Linen, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wood, Bouclé
Late 19th Century English George I Antique Wingback Chairs
Mahogany
Early 1800s English Antique Wingback Chairs
Wool, Wood
19th Century French Antique Wingback Chairs
Velvet, Wood
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wool, Teak
19th Century English Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery
19th Century English Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Bouclé, Wood, Beech
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Bouclé, Wood, Beech
1950s English Vintage Wingback Chairs
Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Bouclé, Wood, Beech
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Bouclé, Wood, Beech
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wood, Beech, Fabric
19th Century English Georgian Antique Wingback Chairs
Leather
Late 19th Century Antique Wingback Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Wingback Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wool, Teak
19th Century Louis XV Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Wingback Chairs
Wood
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Wingback Chairs
Wood, Oak
1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Velvet, Beech
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Beech
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Teak
Early 19th Century Biedermeier Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Wood
19th Century English Antique Wingback Chairs
Linen, Wood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Beech
Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Antique Wingback Chairs
Wood
1840s English Early Victorian Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Wool, Oak
1950s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wool, Beech
1950s Italian Other Vintage Wingback Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century Federal Antique Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Wingback Chairs
Giltwood
19th Century English Queen Anne Antique Wingback Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1870s English Victorian Antique Wingback Chairs
Leather, Oak
1950s Vintage Wingback Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
1820s English Queen Anne Antique Wingback Chairs
Damask, Walnut, Down
1870s English High Victorian Antique Wingback Chairs
Hardwood, Upholstery
Antique, New and Vintage Wingback Chairs
They may not offer structural support, but the wings on antique and vintage wingback chairs certainly do have a purpose or did, when the design was first conceived in England in the 1600s.
Back then, the armchair protrusions were meant to protect the sitter from drafts and from the strong heat radiating from the large fireplaces that were popular at the time. This explains why the wingback is so strongly associated with cozying up by the fireplace.
Although the functional aspect of a wingback may be obsolete in the 21st century, the chairs have maintained their popularity over the years and have seen waves of revivals, from mid-century modern spinoffs to playful contemporary adaptations (like the Bear chair by Pierre Yovanovitch, wherein the place of wings are furry ears — a cheeky send-up of Hans Wegner’s iconic mid-century Papa Bear chair).
Shop the most innovative versions of wingback chairs today on 1stDibs.
Read More
Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair Scrambled the Idea of What a Wingback Could Be
The curvaceous Egg was designed to cradle the body and offer privacy. Later, it became the seat of choice for bosses in movies, too.
23 Ways to Rethink the Classic Wingback Chair
We take a fresh look at a more than 300-year-old fixture in furniture design.