Monday, December 24, 2012

Rope Bed

Photos taken inside the Hobart Historical Society museum.

Well, what I've learned so far about using a tripod is that it's a great tool, and you can do some fun things with it. It's also a pain in the neck — clumsy and time-consuming. And even using a tripod, with a little effort you can still totally mess up a shot. Which is what I did to the label describing the exhibit that is the subject of today's photo-essay. Hence I have to type it out for you.

ROPE BED

Brought by covered wagon from Virginia by the Mundell family in 1836 when the Mundell, Hurst, and Sigler families came to Hobart.

Donated by the Demmon family.

It is a bedstead with pegs on the outer boards around which ropes are strung to form a web that supports the sleeper — with a little elasticity, I suppose, which makes it preferable to sleeping on wooden planks, but not so comfortable as modern constructions like box springs.

Rope bed 1
(Click on images to enlarge)

Two of the pegs, strung with rope:
Rope bed rope and pegs

In the above photo you can see the striped fabric of the feather "tick."
Feather tick, woven coverlet

Rope bed 2

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