When was the first recliner born?

One of the earliest designs using the term “reclining” was published in a British periodical in 1813 called Ackennan’s Repository of Arts. It was a prototype for others to follow. The British called it a Morris Chair, and its invention spurred the music hit “You’d Be Surprised” by Jazz artist Irving Berlin. In 1855, iconic Philadelphia cabinetmaker George Henkels built a reclining chair which could be manipulated without complicated machinery and mechanisms. 

Thought to be an American invention, the recliner as we know it today was actually born around 1850, when the French military introduced a reclining bed for camp use that could serve as a chair, chaise lounge, and a bed. It was designed to be portable and featured a steel frame and padded armrests. One of such recliners was supposedly owned by Napoleon III - the nephew of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte - and while it was much less complex than its modern day counterparts, functioned very similarly to today’s recliners.