British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740-1914

British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740-1914 by Nicholas A. Brawer. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780810957114.

For Great Britain’s gentlemen soldiers stationed in India, Africa, the South Seas, and North America, campaign furniture brought the comfort and civility of home to “life under canvas.” Collapsible and compact, made to be carried on the march and assembled on site, these folding chairs, desks, and cots—used by armies since ancient times—reached an aesthetic apex in 18th- and 19th-century England. To convey their social status, gentleman soldiers stationed abroad ordered entire suites of the ingeniously designed, elaborately styled, fold-up furnishings, and manufacturers such as Chippendale, Sheraton, and Hepplewhite furiously competed for commissions. In the first-ever book on the subject, Nicholas A. Brawer meticulously details this fascinating merger of commerce and craftsmanship. Featuring more than 250 photographs organized by furniture type, the images include “before and after”series depicting items in packed and assembled states. A comprehensive directory of makers will prove invaluable to collectors, dealers, and military buffs.