Object Description
19th century day bed made by Howard and Sons of London. This is a very comfortable daybed with the softly sprung horsehair that it seems Howard alone was able to create. The day bed is buttoned / tufted all over with a flat panel on the arm. This has the amusing result of making the day bed look as if the back is adjustable when it is not. This is an unusually early version of this day bed and as such is not stamped with the makers name. Although we have had this model with stamp many times before, it is thought that this one dates from a period before the stamp began to be used. The legs are the Howard patent design, the construction and the design are all exclusively Howard. One interesting thing about this day bed is that the fabric appears to be original. This is useful for two reasons, firstly it means that when reupholstered it gives us the chance to see how it was upholstered originally so that when it is recovered it can be done to the specification as originally intended. The other good thing about the original fabric is that it is interesting in itself. There are two layers of fabric in this instance, an underticking with flowers and initials, over which is what is believed to be the original woven fabric. It is thought that most pieces were upholstered up to ticking and would then wait until the customer had chosen a top cover. This way the delivery times would be minimised, or a piece can be supplied in ticking and be covered elsewhere or at a later date, a practice that survives to this day. However, the underticking on this day bed is not the one usually found on a Howard, it has various letters including LED&M. Could it be the intials for Lenygon and Morant? We might know more when the top cover is taken off, or perhaps we will never know….
English circa 1870 £2200
76cm / 30″ deep
183 / 72″ long
71cm / 28″ high
41cm / 16″ high seat