Field bedstead tester frame

Date1780-1810

Mediummaple, iron

DimensionsOH: 20 1/2"; OW: 74 3/4"; OD: 1"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1964-428,1

DescriptionTwo sweeps (sides) for an arched tester frame for a field bedstead; each shaped side (square in cross section) is in two parts hinged at top center, with an iron pin at the top center for positioning the lathe (missing) that would span between the two sides; each side has a mortise in the middle of the inside face of the tester for the other two pieces of lathe (missing) that would span between the sweeps; holes in ends would fit over pins on the top of the bed posts.
Label TextCurvilinear tester frames were primarily used with field bedsteads. The ends of these pieces rested on the tops of the bedposts on the right and left sides of the bed. Thin strips of wood spanned the resulting gap from side to side, forming a light framework. This, in turn, supported what was known as a 'throw over furniture,' or a set of bed curtains all attached to a tester cloth that was laid atop the frame like a tablecloth. Such curtains eliminated the need for nailing the curtains directly to the bedstead.
ProvenanceGlen-Sanders Collection