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 Rocking Chair History
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Although the first rocking chairs in existence were believed to have originated around the early to mid 1700’s in England, the rocking chair was originally utilized as a garden sitting chair. The Windsor rocking chair was called such because of it place of origination, Windsor Castle, around the beginning of the 1700’s. It was a wooden rocking chair, wood being the easiest medium through which to create such a piece of furniture, and since its creation has given birth to many new variations of the rocking chair; such as the glider rocking chair. In the timeline of rocking chairs, the wicker rocking chair came after the creation of the Windsor, which was mainly a wood rocking chair with a heavily rounded hoop back with spindles that gave it the appearance of a bird cage.
Just as outdoor rocking chairs and porch rocking chairs are popular today, in the first days of rocking chairs people enjoyed the relaxing, undulating back and forth motion while taking in the beauty of nature in the garden. This gentle motion created by the rocking chair is found soothing by many, similar to the motions of a swaying cradle. Often outdoor rocking chairs are displayed on porches and have since become an American standard for relaxation and household outdoor enjoyment.
After its creation in England, the rocking chair was said to have been become mainstream in America around 1750. Benjamin Franklin is often widely credited with the first wood rocking chair creation, which he made by simply modifying an existing chair and adding gliders to it. Benjamin Franklin apparently adopted the bowed rockers from a baby’s cradle to fit the design of an ordinary chair and thus, the rocking chair was born. However, historians have had varying opinions on the validity of historical evidence to support Mr. Franklin as the originator in America. We do however know that both the rocking horse and the rocking cradle predate the rocking chair. By the end of the 18th century, rocking chairs became the most common type of outdoor porch furniture. The rocking chair soon became a mainstream household object, with the adult rocking chair being used as a symbol of status for many grandparents and heads within families during the early 19th century in the mid west.
The rocking chair gains its ability to rock in such a way because of a unique feature, the wooden rocking chair only makes contact with the floor in two places at any one point in time. Without this feature, the wood rocking chair would not be a rocking chair at all; however one could easily classify it as a stool, bench, ottoman, or just a plain old chair. There is an ergonomic benefit associated with rocking chairs as well. Due to the center of gravity of the user being met and the angle utilized, the rocking chair leaves its user at an almost weightless state.
In the late 1800’s, the first lightweight rocking chair called the bentwood rocking chair was crafted by German craftsman named Michael Thonet. He utilized a type of steamed wood, which he then bent and manipulated to achieve the graceful look of the bentwood rocking chair. With their high affordability and lightweight but beautiful designs, the bentwood rocking chair became an extremely popular among outdoor rocking chairs across America and the rest of the world.
The modern rocking chair design has been pushed to the limit. Everything from glider rocking chairs, to portable children’s rocking chairs, and even a high tech rocking chair called the Gravitron have been inspired by the classic wooden rocking chair. It is hard to further perfect the simple design associated with rocking chairs, but the mediums through which they have been designed since their creation has vastly differed. From high tech steel rocking chairs, to rocking surfboard chairs, to even high tech collapsible rocking chairs; the rocking chair has undergone transformations over the years, but all in all has withstood the test of time. |
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