Campaign Furniture

I just might have India on the brain, seeing as how I recently posted on British Colonial decorating (which you can read about here) and am now writing about campaign furniture.   I have always loved the dark wood and simple lines that make campaign furniture pieces as elegant and useful today as they were for their original purpose.

Teak writing desk from India with removable legs (source: Manner of Style)

Campaign furniture was originally developed for the British army in the 1700s. During the Georgian and Victorian (1714-1901) periods in England, British officers of high social position would expect to enjoy some of the same comforts of home when they were out in military camps.   In order to assure themselves of as high a degree of comfort as possible special collapsible furniture became popular.  The furniture was designed to not only be elegant and comfortable, but to fold up and break apart and then be reassembled without needing nails and screws to hold it together.  The furniture also had to be light enough to be carried (by their attending servants that is).  They were stylish travel furniture in other words.   

Collapsible 19th Century Anglo-Indian hardwood campaign bed (Christie's)

One of the most well-known pieces of campaign furniture is the Wellington Chest (see the photo below), originally designed for the 1st Duke of Wellington, but still very popular today.  It has six to twelve drawers of equal depth and the right side panel opens for storage.  When the panel is closed, it overlaps with the drawers to keep them secure for travel.

Wellington Chest (Antiques Atlas)

19th Century Wellington Chest open to show the drawers and, in this case, a writing shelf (Antiques Atlas)

There were chests and beds and desks and chairs and tables:  pretty much any piece of furniture needed to make living conditions comfortable.

Campaign desk from the 1820s - note the handles on the sides to carry each section (The Buzz on Antiques)

Collapsible washstand c. 1830s (CINOA)

The White Dresser

Campaign dresser and boxes (The White Dresser)

The Roorkhe chair (shown in the photo below), named after the headquarters of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers in India, was used by the British military officers from the 1890s to the beginning of WWII.  Not only was this chair comfortable, portable, light-weight, and strong, but it was also stable on uneven ground.  The chair was constructed of individual wood pieces that fit into each other loosely and were held together by the leather arms and the leather or canvas seat.  The tension created on the arms and seat of the chair when someone sat on the chair, kept the whole structure in place and at the same time allowed for it to adjust to uneven ground.

Tree Hugger

Isn't this gentleman lovely - taking a bit of a rest in his elegant Roorkhe chair wearing his knee socks, pith helmet and linen suit.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Corbett sitting in a Roorkhe chair in Corbett National Park, India in 1936 (Coworkout)

Campaign furniture was so well suited for life on the road, that it also became popular for use while traveling and on safaris.  


Have a look at the gorgeous romanticized version of campaign furniture in a safari tent,

Roar Africa

and on a picnic in Africa.  

Roar Africa

Yep that's my kind of traveling!

Linked to Open House Party at No Minimalist Here,
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed,
Saturday Night Spotlight at Love Where you Live