Campaign furniture

1 February 1988

Interior Design

When it comes to designing furniture, practicality is usually the first
consideration. Chairs were invented for sitting; beds were conceived for
sleeping. After the basic requirements for utility are satisfied,
creativity adds art to usefulness.

Campaign furniture was born out of a very specific need. It was designed
to be used by military personnel when they were in the field. It was
portable and collapsible and was made for English officers stationed in
the colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries. Also called colonial
furniture, it included such pieces as chairs, settees, chests, desks and
beds. The pieces were made in British India, and later in China,
according to the British furniture styles of the day. Each officer had
his own campaign chest that would hold his clothing and personal
effects. When he was shipped to another post, his chest would be sent
with all his belongings to his new station.

The campaign chest was usually made of mahogany, teak or rosewood,
depending on the province it which it was ordered. It might have been
made of camphorwood if it came from China or the Far East. It had
recessed brass handles, protective brass corners and iron strap handles
for carrying. There were other pieces of campaign furniture as well;
sometimes an officer would store his gear in his desk, which would be
handled and shipped like a chest, with identical brass hardware and iron
straps. Other campaign pieces like chairs and sofas and beds had
different functions. They were designed to fold up and fit into a
compact package for transport.

The idea for campaign furniture originated from the camp equipment of
officers in the Napoleonic and Peninsula Wars. These soldiers took an
enormous number of bulky possessions--clothes and personal effects--with
them from camp to camp. They would use a military chest of drawers made
in two parts, the top half incorporating a secretary with a fall front.
This was a purely functional, undecorated piece with simple folding
handles inset in the fronts of the drawers. Brass strips protected the
corners and simple turned feet unscrewed for traveling. This style was
adapted by the British Colonials in India.

American camping furniture, designed not for elite but for common use,
was more compact and practical. An 1864 patented combination camp chest
contained a canvas-covered folding frame that served as a char or a bed;
leaves could be attached to create a table. Also there was a cooking
stove, utensils and a drawer for papers and linen.

A famours American example is the field bed of George Washington in the
Revolutionary War. This was a portable bed with a light framework and
legs that folded up into the frame. This kind of bed evolved into the
elaborate Sheraton bed with the arched tester and framework concealed by
curtains and draperies.

Campaign chests and other pieces are enjoying a new vogue. With the
popularity of the English country style's emphasis on practicality and
spare beauty, it is not surprising that campaign furniture is in demand.
Ann Morris, whose small but handsome chest is pictured here, is a good
New York resource for all kinds of campaign furniture. Kentshire
Galleries has imported many fine examples of the genre, and Garvin
Mecking occasionally comes across an unusual piece. Both are in New
york. Hyde Park Antiques is another New York source where you might find
a first-rate campaign chest. Finding one takes enthusiasm and zeal--this
kind of furniture is scarce and highly prized, so when a piece appears
on the market, it is quickly sold.

I have used campaign chests in many ways--as night stands in a bedroom
for extra storage, as end tables in an informal study. A campaign desk
is ideal for a busy executive or a teen-ager with many hobbies. I have
never had the good fortune to buy a campaign sofa (although I have seen
afew with sold tickets), but I can picture one in a Southampton cottage.
This furniture, created to be useful in one era, has survived because of
its beauty and fine workmanship to be used and admired again.

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