Campaign Tables
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 British Campaign Tables
Brass
1960s American Vintage Campaign Tables
Wood
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Campaign Tables
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century Campaign Tables
Ebony, Satinwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Campaign Tables
Wood
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Campaign Tables
Leather, Wood
19th Century Antique Campaign Tables
Brass
2010s North American Campaign Tables
Leather, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary English Campaign Tables
Brass
2010s French Campaign Tables
Oak, Cherry
Late 19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Antique Campaign Tables
Teak
20th Century American Campaign Tables
Satinwood
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Tables
Rattan, Ceramic
Mid-20th Century French Campaign Tables
Brass, Steel
Late 20th Century American Campaign Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century British Campaign Tables
Brass
1980s French Vintage Campaign Tables
Travertine
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Tables
Oak
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Rope
1980s American Vintage Campaign Tables
Brass
1860s English Antique Campaign Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Campaign Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century British Campaign Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century English Campaign Tables
Mahogany
1950s American Vintage Campaign Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Campaign Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
20th Century Peruvian Campaign Tables
Metal
1960s English Vintage Campaign Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Campaign Tables
Metal
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Hardwood
1940s French Vintage Campaign Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Campaign Tables
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
1920s Italian Vintage Campaign Tables
Wood
1950s French Vintage Campaign Tables
Pine
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Hardwood
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Campaign Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Campaign Tables
Metal, Nickel
1790s Chinese Antique Campaign Tables
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Campaign Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century English Antique Campaign Tables
Mahogany
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Tables
Brass, Metal
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Hardwood
1970s Philippine Vintage Campaign Tables
Upholstery, Bamboo
1850s American Antique Campaign Tables
Mahogany
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Tables
Hardwood
Early 20th Century French Campaign Tables
Iron
19th Century English Antique Campaign Tables
Rosewood
20th Century English Campaign Tables
Chrome