Old Beds Could Be a Nightmare
Beds are made for comfort and health. Today’s beds are large, and their mattresses are made to be comfortable, firm and good for the back. In past centuries, mattresses were made from cornhusks, straw or other lumpy materials that were stuffed into a cloth bag. Tightly strung ropes that had to be tightened regularly supported the mattress. By the mid-1800s, wooden slats were used. It was not until the 1860s that box springs were used.
The single bed of the past was much smaller than those seen today. A 19th century double bed now seems far too narrow. King- and queen-size beds are a mid-20th century idea. In the 18th century, our ancestors were certain that night air caused disease. Beds were made with posts that ranged from 8 to 9 feet tall and with testers that could hold curtains.
The heavy curtains were drawn to keep out the night’s “impure air, gases and contagious effluvia.” By the 1870s, the four-post bed was going out of style, and the half-tester replaced it. The tester top covered only the top half of the bed, but the curtains could still enclose the bed. Sometimes the half-tester was attached to the ceiling. By late Victorian times, scientists had convinced the housewife that the old rules were wrong and that the bedroom should be a model of cleanliness.
Carpets and drapes held dust and bacteria, so they were removed. Openwork or plain metal beds that could be washed and cleaned more thoroughly than high, carved, wooden beds were used. Bric-a-brac, pictures and extra furniture also attracted the bearers of disease and were kept out of the bedroom. By the 1930s, scientists had again revised their ideas of a healthful sleeping room. Open windows, attractive furniture and carpets were back in style. Even the high-post tester bed returned for those who wanted an old-fashioned look.
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Question: I inherited my grandmother’s pendant necklace. In the box with it was a note describing the pendant as “apple green jadite.” What’s the difference between jadite and jade?
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Answer: Jadite is one of two minerals called “jade.” Carved pieces of jadite, which is found chiefly in Burma, are more valuable than carved nephrite, the other mineral called jade. Many think jade is always green, but it can be white, red, brown or blue. Bright green is the most valuable color.
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Q I collect old medicine bottles. One of my veterinary medicine bottles is labeled “Dr. Hess Distemper Fever and Cough Remedy.” The bottom of the label reads “Compounded by Dr. Hess & Clark, Ashland, Ohio.” Was there a real Dr. Hess?
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A Yes. Gilbert Hess was born in Ashland, Ohio, in 1859. He received a medical degree in 1884, and in 1887 was granted a doctor of veterinary science degree from the Chicago Veterinary College. Hess then returned to Ashland to open a veterinary practice. He mixed his own veterinary medicines, and in 1893 added a partner, a salesman named Jesse Lewis Clark. Clark traveled all over northeast and central Ohio selling Hess’ remedies, and gradually expanded the company’s sales force to cover the eastern half of the country. Your distemper remedy bottle dates from about 1915.
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Q My grandmother, who was from Germany, owned a vase whose bottom is stamped with a green eagle and the letters “C.T. Germany.” Can you tell me something about it?
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A Your vase was made in Altwasser, Germany. C. Tielsch was one of the partners in a pottery that was founded in 1848. The company was acquired by C.M. Hutschenreuther in 1918. It continued to use the mark until 1945. The style of the hand-painted flowers on your vase suggests that it was made about 1900.
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Q Can you tell me the value of an amusement park figure called Little Man that used to be on display at the San Francisco Playland amusement park? He had a mate named the Fat Lady.
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A All carvings and decorations from amusement parks are wanted by collectors. If Little Man is all-original and in good condition, a San Francisco historical society may want him. If you sell him, he would bring the best price at an auction house that specializes in carousel horses and other amusement park items.
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Q Can you identify a 3 1/2-inch-long pair of “scissors” my elderly neighbor found among his belongings? It has two circular handles, but instead of blades it has a circle with a sharp-toothed edge inside.
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A Your neighbor’s tool is called an egg topper or egg opener. The device was patented in 1887. It was designed to cut a small section from the top of a soft-boiled egg. That way, the egg could be eaten without making a mess. Many variations of egg toppers have been made, and you can still buy new ones. An old one is worth $6 to $15.
For a listing of helpful books and publications, include a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) envelope to Kovels, Los Angeles Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017.
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Current Prices
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary because of local economic conditions.
* Pepsi-Cola glass, Tasmanian Devil, 1973, 16 oz., $20.
* Dick Tracy soaky, Dick wearing trench coat and fedora hat, 1960s, $110.
* Hull pottery whisk-broom wall pocket, blue, 8 inches, $275.
* Sampler, Angaela Nicholas, 9 years, flowers, home, birds, trees, silk on linen, framed, 1835, 17 by 19 inches, $445.
* Majestic, “The World’s Largest Ship,” White Star Line poster, orange-funneled ship sailing through blue waters, c. 1932, 29 1/2 by 29 1/2 inches, $690.
* Stoneware jug, Cowden & Wilcox, Harrisburg, Pa., bellflower pinwheel, blue at handle, 4-gal., $1,100.
* Animation art cel, Peter Pan, Peter takes Wendy’s hand as they fly, 1953, 10 by 13 inches, $1,440.
* Edgar Brandt wrought-iron table mirror, oval, beveled, decorated with flower heads, 2 ball feet, c. 1925, 12 inches, $2,585.
* Daum Nancy cameo glass bowl, oval, gray with yellow, green, pink and purple, blackberries on thorny vines, signed, c. 1910, 6 inches, $2,800.
* French Fortune Teller doll, bisque, swivel head, kid and wood body, c. 1870, 15 inches, $4,535.
