Being intrigued (and procrastinating homework) I researched this bed length
issue. First, I remember distinctly going through a historic house museum
and the bed being about 4.5 ft long.  (The guide told the measurement.)  It
had been made for the owners of the house to sleep propped up because it
prevented consumption.  Now, I don't remember which house....somewhere in
the last 15 years in the southern part of the US.  But the bed was SO
noticeably short that standing next to it, it was obvious that it would not
accomodate a full size (5ft) person, much less a 6 ft one, lying down.  It
was so prominent that the guide gave a complete speech about it and several
other items in the room which related as well. As with most houses I tour,
it was late a 19th century house.

Further, it is generally VERY well known that antique bed frames do not fit
20th century mattresses either in width or length exactly.  I can
understand about a lack of standardization with wooden bed frames of the
pre-civil war era, but after 1870, most people switched to iron / metal bed
frames because of bug problems in the wooden ones.  These beds were factory
made, not handmade, so some standardization would have had to occur to
achieve the necessary cost efficiency to make them widely available (which
they were).

Now, I am not saying that EVERY 19th century bed was abnormally short, but
there were some.  And, while a standard size bed (toady's version) will,
technically, fit a 6ft person, my husband will tell you that no 6 ft person
would CHOOSE to sleep on one given a choice.  Also, since MANY people sleep
on a king size bed, a standard size bed DOES look comparatively shorter.
(I know that from walking from my bedroom to the guest room. ) So, people
may be making somewhat a false judgment as to the size of the average 19th
century bed, but not entirely.  And sleeping propped up is still VERY
common recommendation from doctors even if you just have the flu.

Another thing is that feather pillows are exceedingly cheap if you have
chickens in your front yard.  My parents always equated feather pillows
with "poor farm folk" who couldn't afford the nice, clean, store-bought
(polyester fiberfill) pillows.  It wasn't until I was engaged and spent the
night at my future in-laws that I ever slept on a down pillow and found out
why.  I was horribly sick the next morning with allergies.  (They had just
bought new pillows - down - so that I would have "the best")  I have no
idea why they are expensive now - some odd reversal of supply and demand
and the need to produce sterile pillows, I guess.

Lori Allen
Graduate Student, History and Museum Studies
University of Missouri - St. Louis

"Well behaved women rarely make history."
                                  - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Historian


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