We have a horse hair mattress in our collections. We are hoping to put on exhibit soon. I was orginally thinking about putting it as a mattress in out jail cell but discovered through research that horse hair mattresses were considered high-quality mattress (obviously not something that would be used in a jail.)

 

What I can not find is does anyone know how they would have covered the mattress? Do you have resources on how these types of mattresses were made?

 

Also, I have concerns about the potentional for insects nesting in the mattress. I read that horse hair repels mites. I would like to verify this information as well as see if any one in the Museum-L community has dealt with a horse hair mattress before? If so what issues should I look out for and how did you solve them?

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Anna Bassford

Director/Curator

Santa Fe Trail Center

Larned, KS