The International Exhibition: Bedstead In The Furniture Court...

The International Exhibition: bedstead in the Furniture Court by Heal and Son, Tottenham-Court-road, 1862. 'On the centre of the canopy rest two cooing doves enjoying each other's caresses, a quiver of love darts ready to he hurled forth...Beneath this, on the damask hanging, is a pair of arrows braided together, pendent from festoons of flowers, and these darts are again repeated on the damask at the head of the bed, where they are encompassed by a wreath of roses, and lower upon the same surface there is a bow of ribbon securely notted [sic] and binding two tassels together...at the foot of the bed we have arrows and laurels, and bows and wreaths...[The bed] is wrought of mahogany, which is faced with white enamel, and is ornamented with carved limewood overlaid with gold, the carving and the gilding being both of a very meritorious character...The furniture for the bedstead and the eider-down quilt that covers it are formed of rich silk damask of a cerise colour lined with white silk, and the decoration is in white pearl silk, with the exception of the head-cloth, which is embroidered with red, the colour of the exterior of the hangings'. From "Illustrated London News", 1862. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)