Here at the Staatsburgh, we’ve recently
developed an interest in the historic mattresses in our collection. Our
investigation into the topic has led to surprising discoveries about the ways
mattresses have changed over the course of the last century. The modern
mattresses we all sleep on today are composed of a foundation (also known as a
box spring), which underlies an innerspring unit, which is then surrounded
surrounded by many layers of upholstery all contained within a padded, quilted
exterior.
However, mattresses were not always so sophisticated or comfortable.
The innerspring mattress that most of us sleep on today was patented by a man
named Heinrich Westphal in 1871. Unfortunately, Westphal did not live long
enough to see his invention succeed. This type of mattress was very expensive
and did not become widely available until the middle of the twentieth century.
This begs the question: what were
mattresses like before? Mattress construction has changed greatly over the
course of time from stuffing, to woven wire, and finally to the innerspring
model. Mattresses may seem quite mundane. To be sure, they don’t flaunt the
same glamor as other antique furniture. You would never catch someone boasting
about owning a nineteenth century mattress! However, the mattress has seen a
great deal of change in its construction during the last century. These
changes show us incremental advancements in the technology of the era as well
as changing attitudes about health.
