A Good Night's Sleep

It's very exciting to get something special for your home. This week I purchased a new bed! I am thrilled to bring something new and lovely into my "humble abode", and I am delighted to plan a new and improved look.
One thing leads to the next. Now, I plan a major "Spring Clean" as well, so I look forward to beginning the holidays all brand new!

When I went to my local furniture store the other night, I browsed around and then asked a salesperson to assist me. I was very lucky to encounter an extremely knowledgeable person, who asked me all kinds of questions, to determine what I needed. "Do you have lower-back problems?" No. "Does your neck hurt when you get up in the morning?" YES! "Do you sleep on your side, and do you get a numb arm?" YES! "Ah!", he said, "Your mattress is too hard!" Well, that answers that! He went on and on about pillows, mattress covers, etc etc, so by the time I made my purchase, I felt confident this is not only a good decorative change, but a healthy one as well.

This got me to thinking about bedding in the 18th Century. It was not all that splendid for the masses. Perhaps, Louis XIV or other Royals had  magnificent beds placed in palatial settings, but the common man did not.

In fact, in American Colonial times, sleeping arrangements were rather modest, plain and utilitarian for even the best of folks.
Look at the bedroom at right. This is President Washington's bedroom at Mount Vernon! Not so very grand, but cozy. He shared that room with Martha until the end of his days. He died at his beloved country home.
I can hardly imagine our current President, or any President from the 20th-21st Century, "enjoying" a room so modest.

I remember one instance from my travels to DC and Alexandria, VA with my daughter. We visited Gatsby's Tavern for dinner. It serves authentic Colonial cuisine, and has been in existence since 1785, and also contains the City Hotel and Ballroom upstairs that you can tour. George Washington visited there many a time, and stayed there as well. Other prominent patrons included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
The tour guide said that because there were only so many rooms upstairs, patrons often shared a room, up to eight people, and sleeping on rush bedding on the floor. Friendly, and intimate, to say the least!

Beds in the later Colonial era were, of course, influenced by Europe, but new designs and ideas emerged. There was an increasing use of Walnut wood, and posts were decorated with fabric drapes to create an environment of warmth and privacy. There were fireplaces in these rooms, but often times, the bed warmer was used to warm the sheets, filled with coals or wood, and passed over the sheets. The bed was probably one of the most costly, and thereby important, pieces of household furniture.

Rice beds emerged as well. They are generally the classic four poster bed, with no roof or canopy. Now the interesting things comes from the fact that Southern plantation owners at the time made great fortunes from selling rice and tobacco. They purchased as fancy a bed as possible to signify their wealth, and these beds became known as "plantation" or "rice" beds. At right, a typical Colonial rice bed. Often times, the pineapple motif was used as post decor. (Pineapples the colonial symbol of hospitality).

In the 18th Century the mattress began to take the form of what we utilize today. In the early 1700's they were filled with cotton and wool; by the later 1700's, filled with coconut fibers and horsehair. Buttons were included to help keep the stuffing in place.

Interestingly enough, beds were made to order, without standard sizes, to accomodate the user. Though George Washington was very tall (over 6'), most people in the 18th Century were much shorter. Some people chose to sleep propped up on pillows, and required an even shorter bed.

And finally, the pillow. Basically used to support the head in comfort and alignment. In the 1700's they were generally stuffed with feathers, and covers embroidered with cross-stitch for decoration, including initials, flora or fauna. Women embroidered sheets and pillow casings as young girls, looking forward to their marriage, bringing their trousseau with them, a dowry of linens the bride would contribute to the home. Often kept at the foot of the bed in a Hope Chest. From the simple, or whimsical to the very grand, they were the finishing touch to any proper bedroom!