Campaign Secretaires
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.
1780s English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Metal, Brass
20th Century English Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Early 20th Century Campaign Secretaires
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Late 19th Century Indian Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Secretaires
Brass
1880s English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
1930s British Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Early 20th Century Danish Campaign Secretaires
Mahogany
1960s Danish Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Rosewood
1820s Swedish Antique Campaign Secretaires
Birch
1910s French Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Carrara Marble, Brass
1820s Swedish Antique Campaign Secretaires
Ash, Ebony
19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Secretaires
Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Fir
1930s British Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Mid-19th Century American Antique Campaign Secretaires
Mahogany
1950s English Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary English Campaign Secretaires
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century European Antique Campaign Secretaires
Teak
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
1940s Danish Vintage Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Campaign Secretaires
Wood
19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Metal, Brass
Mid-19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Early 20th Century Campaign Secretaires
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Secretaires
Brass
Late 19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
19th Century English Antique Campaign Secretaires
Brass
20th Century English Campaign Secretaires
Brass