British Military Officer’s Campaign Chest or Dresser of Brass-Bound Mahogany

A handsome British military officer’s Campaign Ware chest of drawers or dresser, from the 19th century, featuring a patinated mahogany exterior with two short drawers over three long drawers, with brass escutcheons and recessed pulls. The brass-bound chest, in two parts – top half seated on lower half – accented with brass hardware, and resting on four turned feet.

Campaign-era chests and secretaries were the travel items of British military officers who bought and commissioned them for their campaigns abroad to India and Ceylon (The Raj); indeed, the whole of the British Empire. The officers, being predominately from the upper classes, were accustomed to a certain standard of living and found it unthinkable to travel without their necessaries.