Have you ever wondered what were mattresses made of in the 1800s?
Let’s dive into history of beds and their transformation. Find out what materials were used to make mattresses before.
Oldest Known Mattress
The first mattress, made of layers of reeds and rushes, was invented in South Africa and dates back 77,000 years. Ever since then, many different folks have invented different beds.
Ancient Egyptians invented the first raised bed frame with legs shaped like animal feet. Wealthier citizens slept on beds made of wood pallets decorated with jewels and ebony and covered with curtains to keep them protected from rodents and bugs.
In the 1800s, bedrooms became more like today; four-poster beds were still popular, and headboards were smaller than before.
In the late 1800s, coil spring mattresses, airbeds, and waterbeds were invented.
In the 20th century, beds became more innovative. Innerspring mattresses and memory foam were invented, and adjustable beds became popular.
Today, we have many different mattress types, but let’s find out how mattresses were made in the 1800s.
Mattress Materials Used in the 1800s
In the 1800s, beds were different from the new mattresses we see today. They were stuffed with wool, straw, horsehair, feathers, and whatever was readily available to people back then.
All these materials had pros and cons. Beds stuffed with straw were go-to choice of lower-class folks because of its cheapness while horsehair was considered expensive because of high durability.
How Were Mattresses Made?
Making mattresses was considered challenging work, that required lots of patience and practice.
The stuffing material was placed inside a hard layer called ticking or canvas, made of woven metal to keep the mattress in good shape for longer.
The basic goal has always remained the same, which is to provide comfortable sleep.
Layers of Beds
Back then, beds were made up of several layers to give sleepers comfort and support.
The bottom layer was supposed to be made from solid material to give support. The second layer was softer, unlike the memory gel we use today, but were made of wool and horsehair
In winter, people added an extra layer of featherbeds over these two layers to keep them warm and cozy.
After the featherbed layer, people used to cover their beds with linen sheets, feather-filled pillows, and bolsters to give extra comfort.
Other Stuffing Material Used in a Mattress
Straw, wool, and feathers were popular stuffing materials, but that wasn’t always the case. When it came to stuffing, people used all sorts of material that was easily available in their area.
The mattresses were also filled with corn husk, coconut fibers, moss, and beach leaves. All these provided comfortable sleep and support.
On a Final Note
From using sleeping mats to sleeping on pocket spring mattresses, the history of mattresses has come a long way since then, but one thing has remained the same: to give people a restful place to sleep.