Campaign Furniture

campaign furniture, in Europe, variety of portable furniture made for travel. Most of the surviving examples date from the 19th century and were made for Napoleon’s campaigns; they include such items as small chests, folding seats, and washstands in three tiers resting on metal supports that could be unscrewed so that all the parts could be packed easily.

Case furniture was usually teak, with recessed brass swivel handles, brass angle pieces to protect the corners, and short, turned feet (shaped on a lathe) that could be removed for transport. Perhaps the best-known piece of campaign furniture was the Wellington Chest, named after the 1st Duke of Wellington. It had 6 to 12 drawers of equal depth. The right-hand side of the frame, which overlapped the drawers, was hinged and fitted with a lock.