Evoking rusticity and relaxation through simple and elegant designs, vintage Adirondack furniture originated in the Adirondack Mountains of northeastern New York. The most famous piece is the Adirondack chair, which dates to 1903.
With its ample armrests and sturdy but comfortable slanted seat, the reclined Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee for his own country home. The postwar golden age of modern patio and garden furniture production — led by the likes of Brown Jordan, Knoll, Salterini and Woodard — was decades away at the time, and there were few pieces of furniture specifically created for outdoor use.
Lee, a Massachusetts-born Harvard graduate raised in a wealthy family, was no furniture designer. He merely needed a durable, rugged chair for afternoons in the sun while he was vacationing on Lake Champlain in Westport, New York, in the summer. The amateur woodworker used just one wooden plank cut into 11 segments that were jointed together for his now-legendary seat, which is said to have been made of hemlock, hickory or basswood.
The story of the Adirondack chair continues with Lee’s friend, carpenter Harry Bunnell, covertly patenting the chair and going on to produce it as the Westport Plank chair for a growing audience over the next two decades. Over a century later, the Adirondack chair has gone through several design evolutions while maintaining its popularity and basic form with slats of wood such as pine offering comfort both indoors and out.
The widespread demand for rustic Adirondack outdoor furniture was bolstered by the turn-of-the-century establishment of rural escapes to treat diseases such as tuberculosis. The low-slung Adirondack chair became common in these places of convalescence, allowing patients to recline and breathe in the country air. It also complemented the camp-style architecture that was prevalent in the Adirondacks for recreation as well as restoration, where rugged furniture with exposed wood and minimal carving filled interiors and wide porches.
Today, Adirondack chairs are made in a range of materials and can be found around the world, from ski resorts to lakeside piers, their durability and classic form making them an enduring favorite for spending time in nature.
Find vintage Adirondack chairs, benches, lounge chairs, decorative objects, folk art and other furniture on 1stDibs.
$695 / set
Swedish Waterfowl Prints, circa 1929
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a set of four framed Swedish waterfowl prints, there dated 1929. Printed by Finpappersbrukens Forsalfnings AB. in Stockholm, Sweden.
Paper
$695 / set
Swedish Waterfowl Prints, circa 1929
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a set of four framed Swedish waterfowl prints, there dated 1929. Printed by Finpappersbrukens Forsalfnings AB. in Stockholm, Sweden.
Paper
$1,400 / set
H 25.5 in W 31 in D 0.75 in
Prideaux John Selby, England, Set of 4 Hand Colored Restrike Prints of Waterfowl
By John Selby
Located in Morristown, NJ
Selby's Illustrations of British Ornithology (London: 1841-1846). Likely a later restrike printing (20th c.,) hand-colored prints, embossed with plate marks, includes: "Eider Duck, M...
Glass, Wood, Paint, Paper
Antique Bird Print of the Rough-Legged Hawk, '1929'
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Triorchis Lagopus'. Old bird print depicting the rough-legged hawk. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus v...
Paper
Print No.12 Snowman by Josef Capek, 1929
Located in Praha, CZ
The Capek brothers are one of the world's most famous artists from the former Czechoslovakia. Josef Capek was a painter and in 1949 the Komenius publishing house published his collection The Happy Year, containing 12 paintings from 1929-1935, as an educational publication. This last one is called The Snowman...
Paper
$144Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.97 in W 11.03 in D 0.02 in
Original Antique Bird Print of the Northern Phalarope, 1929
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Lobipes Lobatus'. Old bird print depicting the Northern Phalarope. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus vo...
Paper
$253
H 14.97 in W 11.03 in D 0.02 in
Falco Tinnunculus Antique Bird Print, Common Kestrel, 1929 Edition
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Falco Tinnunculus'. Old bird print depicting the common kestrel. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus von ...
Paper
$337Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 7.49 in W 5.32 in D 0.02 in
Set of 6 Antique Prints of various Waterfowl and Wading Birds by Gordon 'c.1900'
Located in Langweer, NL
Set of 6 antique prints depicting various waterfowl and wading birds. These prints originate from the series 'Our Country's' by W. J. Gordon, published circa 1900.
Paper
Antique Bird Print of the Parasitic Jaeger, 1929
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Stercorarius Parasiticus'. Old bird print depicting the Parasitic Jaeger. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus von Wright. Artists and Engravers: Printed in Stockholm. Magnus von Wright (1805 - 68) was the first taxidermist working with the vertebrate collections of Helsinki University. Starting out as a taxidermist in the 1820's, he stuffed birds for Societas pro Flora et Fauna Fennica, the oldest scientific society in Finland, and in 1845, became taxidermist at the university's zoological museum. Von Wright made several study journeys to Stockholm and St. Petersburg, and even wrote a short manual on how mount birds. Though a skilful taxidermist, his reputation, like that of his two brothers, Wilhelm and Ferdinand, rests on his skill as a zoological illustrator. In 1859 he published the first handbook on Finnish birds...
Paper
Antique Bird Print of the Goshawk by Von Wright, 1929
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Astur Gentilis'. Old bird print depicting the goshawk. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus von Wright.
Paper
Original Antique Bird Print of the White Stork, '1929'
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Ciconia Ciconia'. Old bird print depicting the white stork. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus von Wright.
Paper
$96Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.97 in W 11.03 in D 0.02 in
Antique Bird Print of the Eurasian Wigeon, '1929'
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Anas (Mareca) Penelope'. Old bird print depicting the Eurasian wigeon. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnu...
Paper
$96Sale Price|46% Off
H 14.97 in W 11.03 in D 0.02 in
Antique Bird Print of the Little Gull, Published in Sweden in 1929
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Larus Minutus'. Old bird print depicting the Little Gull. This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by Magnus von Wright.
Paper
$1,687Sale Price|20% Off
H 20.08 in W 24.22 in D 1.19 in
Barcelona 1929 International Exposition Print on Canvas, Hand-Coloured
Located in Barcelona, ES
Framed print on canvas: " Exposición Internacional de Barcelona, Año 1929 " The 1929 International Exposition was one of the most important events to have shaped the urban landsca...
Canvas, Wood
Pair of Fish Prints by S.F. Denton
By Sherman Foote Denton
Located in Doylestown, PA
A pair of original lithographs of lake fish by Sherman Foote Denton, circa 1895-1900. Matted and framed under glass. Each is signed Denton in the pl...
Paper
Set of 4 Fish Prints by S.F. Denton
By Sherman Foote Denton
Located in Doylestown, PA
A set of 4 original lithographs of lake fish by Sherman Foote Denton, circa 1895-1900. Matted and framed under glass. Each is signed Denton in the p...
Paper
Set of Four Prints in Trowbridge Gallery Frames, Lake and River Scenes
By Trowbridge
Located in Manhasset, NY
Set of four prints in Trowbridge frames. Lake and river scenes. Each finely ebony and parcel-gilt decorated frame displays a wonderful print that is...
Glass, Wood
Sold
H 1 in W 17.25 in D 21.25 in
Victorian Era Chromolithograph a Welcome to All Motto in Adirondack Wood Frame
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An original framed Victorian era chromolithograph motto print, circa late 1800s-early 1900s. Fabulous hanging in a guesthouse or cabin entryway. The phrase, “A Welcome to All” is brightly printed on paper with a type face typical of the era. A spray of pink, red, yellow, and white roses borders the motto, a pink fretwork design edging, all on a dense black ground. Chromolithography is a unique method for making multi-color prints. The print is set under glass into a wood Adirondack style frame of the period. Hand carved leaves are applied at each corner, the inner section of the frame is finished in gold. This style is generally associated with the great camps...
Wood, Paper
Sold
H 26 in W 16 in D 1.7 in
Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Plans and Designs Large 100 Plate Lithographs
Located in Dallas, TX
This is an enormous booklet (25.75 X 16 Inches): Frank Lloyd wright buildings, plans and designs. 100 Large scale plate drawings and plans on quality wove paper by Frank Lloyd Wright, all loose as issued in cloth and board portfolio. Including booklet by William Wesley...
Paper
Swedish Waterfowl Prints, circa 1929
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a set of four framed Swedish waterfowl prints, there dated 1929. Printed by Finpappersbrukens Forsalfnings AB. in Stockholm, Sweden.
Paper
Swedish Birds of Prey Prints, circa 1929
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a set of four framed Swedish birds of prey prints, there dated 1929. They were printed by Finpappersbrukens Forsalfnings AB. in Stockholm S...
Paper