In the late 60’s and early 70’s a rock group burst on the scene with a song titled “In A Gadda Da Vida” which stayed on the charts for 140 weeks and in the Top Ten for 81. It became a rock and roll classic and would the beginning of a career that would eventually land it’s band members to the Rock an Roll Hall of Fame. That group was “Iron Butterfly”. If you’re a child of the 80’s or 90’s and not real familiar with the group……. do yourself a favor and listen to the 17:05 minute original long version. They would later tour with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, Chicago, Janis Joplin, The Byrds and Crodby Stills Nash & Young……just to name a few. So what you ask does this have to do with iron beds?????? Actually not a dam thing. Other than I was trying to think of a catchy way to start this piece on a couple of incredible beds I’ve had over the years, wich happen to be “Butterfly’s” . The use of butterfly’s must have been a popular motif with bed builders, because I’ve come across it on a number of occasions, in overall designs and in castings. Why did foundry manufacturers use Butterfly’s in their designing? It’s not readily known other than metal beds, of that period, tried to incorporate every possible thing in nature from flowers and vines to Lion heads and butterflies. If something of the time displayed any popularity at all, bed foundries would try it.
Beds were simply a refection of the times. Te Victorian Era was a very decorative one with lots of embellishments and over the top decorations. It was one of the fanciest of all design periods. As the Industrial Revolution became more and more popular, those decorative furniture items started becoming more streamlined and more practical and utilitarian.
Beds started looking more and more sleek as we came into the Deco Era. But as time went on a nostalgia for the Victorian Era would be rekindled and become even more popular than when it was in full swing back in the 1800’s.
I hope you’ve found this blog informative . I invite you to revisit my website
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