Boston Rocker
Antique Late 19th Century North American Children s Furniture
Wood, Pine
Antique 19th Century American Rocking Chairs
Maple, Pine, Hickory
Recent Sales
Antique Mid-19th Century American American Colonial Rocking Chairs
Wood
Antique 1830s American American Classical Rocking Chairs
Mahogany
Antique Mid-19th Century American Country Painted Furniture
Pine
Antique Mid-19th Century American Classical Rocking Chairs
Maple, Bentwood
Antique 1850s American Classical Rocking Chairs
Oak
Antique 19th Century Folk Art Rocking Chairs
Hardwood, Paint
Antique 19th Century American Rocking Chairs
Pine
Antique 19th Century American Rocking Chairs
Mid-20th Century Rustic Rocking Chairs
Hardwood, Paint
Antique Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Rocking Chairs
Oak
Antique 1840s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Rocking Chairs
Birch
Antique 1840s American Rocking Chairs
Oak
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Mid-20th Century American Colonial Andirons
Brass, Iron
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Rocking Chairs
Wicker, Rattan
2010s Italian Modern Chaise Longues
Wood
Vintage 1910s Bottles
Blown Glass
Antique Early 19th Century French French Provincial Farm Tables
Metal
Vintage 1930s Mexican Industrial Industrial and Work Tables
Wood
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Bookcases
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Cabinets
Pine
Antique 1890s American Cabinets
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Children s Furniture
Giltwood
Antique Late 19th Century English Arts and Crafts Bookcases
Oak
Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Portrait Prints
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Dining Room Tables
Steel, Iron
Antique 19th Century Italian Baroque Rocking Chairs
Silver Leaf
Antique Early 18th Century English Georgian Grandfather Clocks and Longc...
Wood
Antique 19th Century German Biedermeier Drop-leaf and Pembroke Tables
Wood, Maple
Finding the Right Rocking-chairs for You
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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