By the eighteenth century, people were beginning to search for better beds, that is, beds with mattresses that were not filled with bugs and rodents. While spring mattresses were attempted, they didn’t work particularly well. By the end of the nineteenth century, some innerspring mattress were beginning to appear, but they were very expensive. In 1925, Zalmon Simmons, an American manufacturer, came up with the idea of the “Beautyrest” innerspring mattress which sold for $39.80 (that’s about double the cost of the best hair-stuffed mattresses at this time).
While the “Beautyrest” was expensive, advertising saved the concept. Simmons promoted the idea of “scientific sleep” and the concept soon took hold.
The idea of having a bedroom, however, remained as an upper-class status symbol. Many people in the nineteenth and early twentieth century continued to live in one-room homes, with no separate room for the bed.
Shown below are some of the modern beds which are featured in museum displays.
Deschutes Historical Museum, Bend, Oregon
Shown above is a rope bed, the type of bed commonly used before the manufacture of steel springs.
According to the Museum display:
“One of the problems with a rope bed was the constant need to retighten the ropes as they stretched with use. Once a week or so they would be tightened with the use of a bed key or straining wrench and wedges. The fork of the key was put over the rope and twisted pulling the rope tight. A wedge was then put through the rope hole to hold it tight and the key was moved to the next rope and the process was repeated.”
A bed key and wedges are shown above.
Shown above is a detail of the rope bed.
According to the Museum display:
“The mattress was called a tick. It was basically a bag that was filled with cornhusks, horsehair, feathers or straw. Homemade quilts were commonly used for warmth. The well-know express ‘Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite’ is said to be from the rope bed days when a tightly roped bed was best for a good night’s sleep. The straw ticks quite often became full of bugs that didn’t always feed on the straw filling.”
East Benton County Museum, Kennewick, Washington
One of the displays features an interesting hiding bed.
Shown above is the back of the Murphy Bed.
Swan Valley Historical Museum, Condon, Montana
One of the displays features a homestead bedroom.
Shown above is the bed in the Whalen Homestead House.
The bed in the Trapper’s Cabin shown above has a mattress of evergreen boughs.
Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, Washington
One of the displays features a Depression Era Hooverville shack.
McVittie House, Fort Steele Heritage Village, British Columbia
Fort Dalles Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
Presby House Museum, Goldendale, Washington
Shown above is a doll’s bed.
Shown above is the bed in the Homestead Cabin exhibit.
Sheriff’s Office, Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Sun River Jail, Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Homestead Cabin, Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Cottonwood City, Deer Lodge, Montana
This is the teacher’s room attached to the schoolhouse.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
Sedman House, Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Hulda Klager Farmhouse, Woodland, Washington
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana
Heritage Museum, Libby, Montana
Polson Museum, Hoquiam, Washington
Butterfield Cottage, Seaside, Oregon
Museums 201
Museums 201 provides photo tours of displays from several museums. More from this series:
Museums 201: Ancient Beds (photo diary)
Museums 201: Quilts (photo diary)
Museums 201: Sewing machines (photo diary)
Museums 201: Wood-fired kitchen ranges (photo diary)
Museums 201: Washing machines (photo diary)
Museums 201: Electric ranges and refrigerators (photo diary)
Museums 201: Wood-fired heating stoves (photo diary)
Museums 201: Carriages and Wagons (photo diary)