A rocking chair is a chair mounted on two curved runners, called rockers, which allow the sitter to rock gently backwards and forwards. The form appears to have developed in the eighteenth century, probably by fitting rockers to existing chairs, and it became especially popular in Britain and North America during the nineteenth century.
In Britain, rocking chairs were often made in the Windsor tradition, with elm seats and ash, beech or yew spindles and bows, and regional variants such as the Lancashire and Yorkshire rockers developed. In America, the Boston rocker and the simple, elegant chairs of the Shakers became classics. The bentwood rocking chair introduced by Thonet in the 1860s, with its flowing curves and caned seat, was produced in great numbers and remains one of the most recognisable designs. The Arts and Crafts movement and twentieth-century designers also produced notable versions. Rocking chairs were associated with comfort, nursing and relaxation by the fireside. When buying, check that the rockers are sound and evenly matched, that joints are firm, and that cane or rush seats are in good condition.
