Bed c. 1830 - 1850

Here we see Firma Feuchère's drawing of a bed, made with graphite. We cannot be sure when it was made, but it gives us a sense of how status and identity are expressed through the design of domestic spaces. The bed, historically, is far more than just a place to sleep. It is a site of birth, death, and sex. It’s a space of vulnerability, dreams, and nightmares. In earlier eras, the bedchamber was also a public space, where members of the upper classes would receive visitors or conduct business. This drawing gives us insight into the ornate and extravagant tastes of a certain class. The height, the detailed carvings, and the layers of drapery all speak to a desire to impress and to display wealth. In this way, the bed becomes less about comfort and more about the performance of status. It evokes a sense of the theatrical, and the emotional weight of such a display. It makes one wonder how one might truly rest in such a place.