Walnut bed

c. 1850-1860
Collection of the Springfield Art Association

This massive walnut bed belonged to Jacob and Sarah Irwin Bunn and may have been purchased for their new home, built in 1854.

By the mid-nineteenth century, suites of bedroom furniture became fashionable among the middle and upper classes. Bedroom sets often included a bed, dresser, and washstand.

However, bedrooms, as private spaces within the home, were usually not given the priority or budget given to public rooms such as the parlor. Often cast-off furniture from downstairs was moved upstairs to the bedrooms when it was no longer suitable for the public rooms.