In the close to 40 years of being in the bed business I’ve only ever come across three other iron beds that had actual “faces” in the castings. This one is of a Victorian women with curly hair. Metal beds usually adorned themselves with scrolls and an occasional touch of brass. So to find something like this on the panel of a bed, with a very detailed female face was again……. quite rare.
The beds I’ve had over the years that are “art panel” beds usually were from the early to mid-1800’s. This bed is closer to the late 1800’s. Ones that were being produced closer to the late 1800’s, were becoming more and more modern looking with less and less scrolling and curved iron. This bed seems to be more of a “hanger on” to the old design sense….with the scrolled top brass piece. Yet a big flat metal panel that was indicative of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
The filigree iron work is also something not seen on beds of that period. Although this one is definitely American made, it has many design elements that were being used at that period of time in France. We made a far better bed, than anyone in Europe. But we were certainly not above what we refer to today as “corporate espionage”…….. stealing the designs of another company. Many of our antique iron beds of the 1800’s were designs that came from across the “pond”.
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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