Drawings of Historical Saskatchewan

Bedroom Furniture

Bedsteads were furnished with a canopy, called a tester, and side curtains which could be drawn close to keep out draughts and "night air," which was thought to be harmful to health. Thick feather mattresses often built the bed so high that steps were required to enable the sleeper to get into it. A long-handled warming pan -- a copper or brass dish in which was placed glowing charcoal or embers from the fireplace-- was used to warm the sheets before retiring. Many bedrooms were unheated, though some had small open fireplaces. Beds such as those illustrated were used only by a few well-to-do settlers who brought them from their earlier homes in Great Britain or the American colonies or acquired them at a later period when the pioneers had reached some prosperity. Quoted from: The PICTURE GALLERY of CANADIAN HISTORY Vol. 2 1763 to 1830. Text on Page 125, Illustration on page 89.

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Bibliography: The PICTURE GALLERY of CANADIAN HISTORY Vol. 2 1763 to 1830. Illustrations drawn and collected by Jefferys, C.W., R.C.A., L.L.D. Assisted by T.W. McLean The Ryerson Press - Toronto Copyright Canada, 1945 by C.W. Jefferys, R.C.A.