Lady on a rocking chair by Victor Borisov-Musatov, 1897

A rocking chair or rocker is a chair with two curved bands of wood (also know as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs (one on the left two legs and one on the right two legs). This gives the chair contact with the floor at only two points granting the occupant to rock back and forth by shifting his/her weight or pushing lightly with his/her feet. Many find rocking chairs soothing because of the gentle rocking. Rocking chairs are also comfortable because when one sits in one without rocking the chair automatically rocks backwards until the sitter's center of gravity is met thus granting the ergonomic benefit that the occupant is kept at a very unstressed position and angle. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1576x2226, 282 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Rocking chair Victor Borisov-Musatov ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1576x2226, 282 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Rocking chair Victor Borisov-Musatov ... Self-Portrait with sister, 1898 Victor Elpifidorovich Borisov-Musatov (Russian: ), (April 14 [O.S. April 2] 1870 - November 8 [O.S. October 26] 1905) was a Russian painter, prominent for his unique Post-Impressionistic style that mixed symbolism, pure decorative style and realism. ... Typical Western wooden chair A chair is a piece of furniture for sitting, consisting of a seat, a back, and sometimes arm rests, commonly for use by one person. ... Rocker may refer to: Rocker, a British, 1960s style or retro-motorcyclist [ UK usage mainly but growing internationally ] Rocker (archetype), a person who listens to rock and roll or Rock music [ North American and UK usage ] Surfing : Rocker refers to the curvature on the bottom of a surfboard, skimboard, bodyboard... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Ergonomics (from Greek ergon work and nomoi natural laws) is the study of designing objects to be better adapted to the shape of the human body and/or to correct the users posture. ...

History

No clear answer can be given to the question of the rocking chair's origin. Some American myths grant the invention to Benjamin Franklin. This however is highly unlikely as such an event is not mentioned in any of his notes or his autobiography. It is known, however, that rocking chairs did originate in America or possibly in England c. 1725 as garden chairs and were originally normal chairs with a pair of rockers attached to the bottom. It was not until around 1800 that rocking chairs began to be produced by furniture companies. One of the original (and perhaps first) business' to produce rocking chairs was the work shop of Duncan Phyfe (fife) who produced furniture that pioneered the Empire style in New York City. Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States. ... Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ... For other uses of the term chair, please see chair (disambiguation). ... Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854) was one of 19th century America’s leading furniture makers. ... Empire is an early 19th century style of architecture and furniture design that and originates from Napoleons rule of France. ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

Cultural meaning

Rocking chairs are often associated to seniority and grandparents. Senior is: An advanced adult A high-level position The older of two people of the same family with the exact same name, often a parent (for example, Ken Griffey, Sr. ... A grandfather teaches his little granddaughter how to ride a kick scooter. ...

See also

• cradle, another rocking piece of furniture
• swing, the rocking movement comes from suspension

Cradle may refer to: Cradle (band), a band that Suzi Quatro played in, in the early 1970s before she became a huge star. ... Look up swing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

• Rocking Chair Designs DesignBoom.com has a very interesting pictorial history of rocking chairs
• Guide To Rocking Chairs Overviews of rocking chair styles, materials and designers.