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History of Bed-jumping?
This may seem like a strange question, but I'm picking through some of the historical anachronisms in the movie, 12 Years a Slave, and one of the things that seemed out of place to me was the scene where Solomon Northup was shown putting his kids to bed, and one of them was shown briefly jumping on the bed. Given the fact that this would have been 1841, I would have thought this would be a bed with a rope support for the mattress, which I would not think would be springy enough to support bed jumping. I did not think that any kind of metal coil mattress support had been introduced until much more recently, like the early 20th century. Any ideas on the subject (other than comments on the status of my mental health for thinking about this) would be welcomed.
Tim, it seems perfectly appropriate to me to look for historical anachronisms in a historically-based movie, and I can't help it if I notice a bunch of them. However - on the subject of detail - nowhere did I say that I watched this or any comparable film with the sole purpose of picking holes in it, so it seems to be quite a leap on your part to assume that that's my purpose, simply based on my having asked this question. Precisely because I am NOT naive, I am capable of reading works on multiple levels simultaneously. And it doesn't mean I enjoyed either Amistad or this movie any less because they were set in the 1840's, but featured shots of the Capitol dome (which wasn't built then), and I happened to note this. I appreciate historical authenticity, which is why I am mightily impressed by the docents at historical sites that completely immerse in the historical era.
Lilitu, about 40 years ago my family had an old iron bedframe (possibly from the 1930's?) that had an iron link support (It looked sort of like chainmail) for the mattress. It was quite springy and bouncy; but I can't seem to find information on that type of mattress support. I can't think it would be older than the turn of the 20th Century.
2 Answers
- LilituLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
the first steps towards the invention of the box spring were taken at the end of the 19th century, and it really did not spread far until the 20th century. I immagine it may have also been a lot more costly than a bed with rope support. As to the possibility of jumping on a rope supported bed, I have no idea.
- Tim DLv 77 years ago
Searching for historical anachronisms in a historical drama seems a rather pointless and naïve activity. Indeed you should wonder why you are able to watch an entertainment with the sole purpose of picking holes in it.
Jumping on a bed does not require springs, the point is that the mattress would protect you if you should fall.