Here is a photo of one of the more popular spring units being used back in the 1800’s on metal beds. As you can easily see…… there really was no element to the “spring” term. This type was used strictly to hold a feather mattress off the ground. It gave more the feel of a hammock between two trees……in this sense, between a head and foot board. There was no orthopedic claims involving this unit. It was as uncomfortable as it gets. Forget sleeping on your stomach….that was impossible.
From this type of wire mesh unit, man would start developing “springs” that were actually made out of coils of thick gauge iron. These were also lumpy and uncomfortable. But the development of the box spring was still a ways off in the future. Unwrapped or covered spring units would become quite popular. But then anything other than the wire mesh units, as in this photo, would be a step in the right direction.
The photo of a “spring unit” leaning against a tree, is one of the first attempts that were made for antique iro beds to hold a feather mattress. It would “clip” on to the angle iron side rails. One of the major drawbacks was the noise factor. There were so many points of “friction” ,where a piece of spring or metal was rubbing against another piece that it’s difficult to understand how a couple could have intimate relations without the entire neighborhood knowing about it.
Very few of the old spring unit’s survived the junk yard. Most were sold off as scrap metal.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
to answer any and all questions you might have about antique iron beds.
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