When I tell people I’m working on a book about “campaign furniture,” the response is usually complete confusion.
Is this, perhaps, the furniture used by presidential candidates on their tour buses?
Once I explain that it was the furniture used by colonials, government workers and military officers during 1790 to 1920, the response is usually utter revulsion.
Is this, perhaps, the furniture of oppression?
And so I just stop telling people I’m working on a book on campaign furniture and just tell them I’m doing a thing on birdhouses for bondage lovers and people who drink human blood.
Sometimes, however, I run into woodworkers who follow my work and have also stumbled onto pieces in this furniture style. They see its honest construction, its simple lines and its durability. It is furniture that is understated and fits in well in a wide variety of settings – many woodworkers have sent me photos of campaign chests they have encountered in Victorian, Arts & Crafts, period and contemporary homes.
So does campaign furniture have political baggage? The answer is: Who cares?
Every furniture style can be associated with something unsavory. Any piece of American furniture before 1860 can be labeled “the furniture of slavers.” Furniture before the 19th Amendment was passed? Furniture of the people who hate women. Shaker? Furniture of people who despise reproduction. You can twist and contort history however you like. (A true history of any style of furniture is more complex than a blog entry can capture.)
Instead, I tend to focus on furniture’s form, its construction and its beauty. If we carry those things forward – and discard the retrograde social baggage associated with some (or all) furniture styles – we might just … I don’t know… find something interesting to build?
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. I’m in Australia for the next few weeks, where I hope to see some campaign furniture. If you’d like to see what I’m doing in Melbourne, check out my blog at Popular Woodworking Magazine here and here.
The hardware (handles) on the front of the chest in the photo looks interesting. Did you get any other photos of it? Do you have any thoughts of including this type of hardware into your book? Thanks
I would bet that Birdhouses for Bondage Lovers and Vampires would be your best seller.
It is, however, as appealing as British cooked ‘food’.
You’ve not had much real British cooked food, have you? Just the junk. British junk food is as bad as everybody else’s.
It’s always dangerous making superficial judgements. Like assuming that campaign furniture is just about oppessive occupation of other countries.
Heaven is like a party where the germans organize the event, the british greet the guests, and the french do the cooking.
Hell is like a party where the germans greet the guests, the french organize the event, and the british do the cooking.
I have always preferred the functional, simple lines of both Shaker and campaign style furniture over the frilly furniture of the fatuous French monarchy. I guess that must mean I am an inhuman, fascist, militaristic pig.
Oh well, that makes two of us….
Campaign furniture is a style that is over due for a functional revival. I have several friends who work in Film & Television, both live and digital, as well as other IT contractors, and campaign furniture – without the antique baggage & price tag, would be ideal for these people – they often have to move from one city/state/country to another, often on a few days notice, then be able to set up house in whatever accomodation they can find and be up and functioning immediately.
This is much the same as the situation that spawned ‘Campaign’ furniture in the first place – a complete system of storage for the owners effects that stowed & packed compactly, could be moved by indifferent transport (ship, camel, donkey) and could be collapsed and erected completely into a fully functional state every day by basically unskilled labor.
I should loan you my copy of Edward Said’s “Culture and Imperialism.”
Another good book to read here is “Conquests And Cultures: An International History” by Thomas Sowell. I believe it is a well researched and quite global view. Very readable.
Thanks for saying what i’ve been thinking so long. why do people
suddenly dislike music they love, when they find the artist holds a
different political or religious view, sexual preference, etc. if its good, its good.
By the way, I’m planing to build some campaign furniture. Speaking from
past “workbench” experience, i don’t dare start before you publish!
Thanks in advance.
Good grief. We’re going to infuse more inanimate objects with human intent? Campaign chests don’t oppress people; people oppress people.
Just like some pure hand tool woodworkers turn up their noses at arts and crafts furniture because it probably was designed with machine work in mind. Who cares! That doesn’t mean it cannot be beautiful (and done by hand)!
The “other Matt S.” says that people need to lighten up. Seriously.
Oh, it’s “me” again. I’ll be getting this book!
How refreshing! Historical points of view without a load of PC garbage and transgenerational, neoracist guilt are about as rare as original, undiscovered Greene and Greene bedroom sets.
Isn’t clean living fun?
There has been more than one point in my life where a few key pieces of campaign furniture and a true campaign chest would have would have been the height of luxury. Now that I think about it, I can see potential uses in the future.
I’m pretty solidly on the left in most of my views but I can appreciate the intent of the original post.
On the other hand, it’s pretty typical that discussion devolves into a bunch of middle aged guys whining against any examination of history that might try to undermine the “for god and country” bullshit they were fed as children. Those PC bastards, always trying ruin everything!
Another witty and and eloquent post.
The picture threw me because I thought someone had removed the drawer pulls or painted on faux-pulls. Then I took a closer look and saw they were recessed. Very cool stuff!
Can you buy recessed pulls like that still?
http://www.leevalley.com has a lot of recessed pulls.
I’ve read that Horton Brasses (hortonbrasses.com) will make it if they don’t have it.
Yes. Londonderry carries them and they are gorgeous. I have some on order.
Furniture is meant to hold our asses, or hold the things that cover our asses.
What the ass does is immaterial.
But I guess there is no end to pet causes.
How about you just call it Ikea furniture before Ikea was cool?
He could also say he’s just building war- chests. (pun most definently intended.)
Reminds me of my ex-wife’s great aunt whom saw a fantastic dark green color she wanted to paint her living room, until she discovered it was called Kennebunkport Green. Being a good koolaid drinker, whom was brought up to despise anything Republican or George Bush related, refused to ever consider the color, again! Talk about letting your politics overcome your perception!
Bravo Chris, someone always has to make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Well said Chris, that is a pretty useful statement on how to deal with political correctness. Campaign furniture has the kind of look whereby you know right away whether you like it or not. Mission is the same. I’m looking forward to the book. I definitely want to build some of this stuff but I will use through dovetails. If I make half blinds people will look at my results and think I am describing myself.
Great response Chris. I’m looking forward to this and other titles from LAP especially Furniture of Necessity.
I like the little chest under the cannon.
Here in belgium it would sell as “meubles bateau” (boat furniture)
here is a link I found about harware:
http://www.chetcomarine.com/abilifthandlewithcatch.aspx
in 2 minutes while googlng for “boat furniture hardware”
Oops
I meant Belgium and googling
How to transform some good furniture in ikea looking one:
http://betterdecoratingbible.com/2011/09/11/amazing-antique-transformations-before-and-after/
Aaarrghhhh!!!! The first “transformation”/abomination shown in your link made me sick. We should start the Antique Furniture Anti-Defamation and Protection Society.
I have made a small campaign box for holding a coleman dual fuel stove and a double mantle lantern. I bring it with me everytime I take our son to a moto cross race.
I would like to make some more campaign furniture to use for that purpose, since I dislike plastic folding chairs and flimsy camping tables.
Plus it would also make a statement that you can behave civilized while performing a sport.
Your next book should be “Arts and Crafts – Furniture Before Civil Rights.” You’re a beast, and I hope you’re properly ashamed of yourself.
Really? So because the social structure wasn’t up to today’s standards we should disavow anything created prior to some mythical event that you deem important? For what its worth I would argue that the civil rights movement started with the advent of humanism. By that standard campaign furniture is in the clear.
I’m surprised that people would react so strongly. I do think it’s a conversation worth having; when you’re working in a historical furniture style you can’t help but think about the context in which the original pieces were made and used. But condemning a piece of furniture because of that context is a little nuts.
Isn’t it fair to say that you dispense with one set of meanings in favor of another? You dispense with ‘who owned/used/paid for this furniture?’ in favor of ‘the purity and clarity of form speaks to me of a pure and authentic life.’ Which I think is fine, form speaks as vibrantly and coherently as context. But it is disingenuous to think that you are somehow sidestepping the issue of the ‘meaning’ of pieces.