Military furniture, often called campaign furniture, is portable furniture designed for army and naval officers to take on campaign or overseas postings. It was made to be dismantled, folded or packed into cases for transport, while remaining sturdy and elegant enough for an officer's quarters.
British campaign furniture was produced in quantity from the later eighteenth century through the nineteenth century, a period of extensive military and colonial activity. Typical pieces include chests of drawers made in two stacking sections with flush brass handles and brass-bound corners, folding chairs, collapsible tables, desks, washstands, camp beds and travelling boxes. Mahogany, teak and camphor wood were commonly used, the latter two especially in pieces made in India and the East. Firms such as Ross & Co. of Dublin and Hill & Millard and Thomas Butler of London supplied campaign furniture and sometimes stamped or labelled their work. Collectors look for original brass fittings, sunken handles, working mechanisms, regimental or maker's markings and good original surfaces. The practical, compact design of military furniture and its clean lines make it popular today in smaller homes and modern interiors.
