Early American Folding Dual-Purpose Furniture

Space-Saving Folding Beds, Tables, Chairs and Desks Were Necessary

Sep 9, 2009

American colonists were thrifty souls who found it necessary to conserve space by finding furniture that doubled itself in function while remaining attractive

Many colonial and early American families were accustomed to living, eating, sleeping and bathing in one small room, or one room and an outhouse. Crowded conditions like these gave birth to innovative furniture such as trundle beds, foldaway beds, drop-leaf tables, chair-tables and folding chairs.

Colonists Had Folding Beds and Wall Beds Long Before Murphy

Long before the 20th century brought the San Francisco Murphy Bed to the world, Ambrose E. Barnes & Bros. of New York City offered a Matchless Folding Bedstead at a price of around $40 and described it as “the Strongest, Most Simple, Cheapest and Best Upright Folding Bedstead in the Market”.

Another popular space-saving bed was the trundle bed. Made as early as 1700, these sturdy bed frames were usually fitted with wooden rollers and were kept under a full-sized bed during the day. The Winterthur Museum in Delaware houses a fine example of one of these early trundle beds.

Folding Tables and Desks Served Dual Purposes in Colonial Homes

During the 19th century an endless variety of folding tables appeared in America. They were as inexpensive as they were practical, and almost every middle-class family owned at least one such table. Designed to be set against a wall when not in use, these tables had a variety of ingenious spindles and gate-leg devices to make them very simple to use.

The Cortland Desk Company of New York manufactured several different wall desks in the 19th century. These were designed to hang on the wall at a comfortable height for the specific user and saved much space in a room. Mostly small and efficient, they streamlined household paperwork and provided some storage.

Folding and Multi-Purpose Chairs Were Also Used to Save Space

Alfred E. Stacey of Elbridge, New York manufactured folding rocking chairs in the mid-19th century. They were made of bamboo and had delightful and colorful fabric or tapestry cushions. Other makers were George Hunzinger of New York City, the Heywood Chair Manufacturing Company of Boston and Philadelphia and Alexander W. Stewart of Boston Furniture Company of Boston, Massachusetts.

The most stunning example of a folding or multi-purpose chair is undoubtedly the Metamorphic Library Chair made by Auguste Eliaers of Boston, Massachusetts. It converts into a five-step ladder when a catch is released at the back of the chair, and the arms turn on hinges which then fold back and form the ladder.

Many modern collectors who live in apartments, small houses or other cramped quarters have turned to these space-savers from another chapter in the history of American furniture.

The copyright of the article Early American Folding Dual-Purpose Furniture in Antique Furniture is owned by Marie Brannon. Permission to republish Early American Folding Dual-Purpose Furniture in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.