Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
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.
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood, Paper
1970s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century British Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Other
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal, Brass
19th Century British Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century British Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century Hong Kong Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1960s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
19th Century Korean Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal, Brass
1980s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1950s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1970s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1970s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century Indian Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Mahogany
20th Century Korean Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1870s English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Other
Late 19th Century British Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1960s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1780s English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1980s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Wood
20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Fruitwood
1950s American Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
20th Century Danish Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rosewood
Early 20th Century Hong Kong Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Metal, Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1860s English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
2010s Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
1960s Japanese Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Elm
Early 20th Century English Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass, Metal
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1980s Vintage Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Glass, Wood
Late 19th Century Chinese Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass, Other
20th Century Danish Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Rosewood
2010s North American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Leather, Wood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
1820s English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Irish Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
Late 19th Century British Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Mahogany
2010s Central American Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Chrome
Early 20th Century British Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass
Early 20th Century English Campaign Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets
Brass