Short Cabin Bed

An unusually short, teak Cabin Bed likely made for a child.

The pegged joints and general construction point to it being Anglo Indian. The drawers are dovetailed and have quadrant mouldings to the interior for added strength. These are a little bigger than you would expect on an English drawer. The two drawers have brass swan neck handles and shaped escutcheon plates. The four corner posts have ball finials.

There is evidence that the Cabin Bed originally had a removable rail or board to prevent the occupant falling out in stormy seas. You often see this on full sized Cabin Beds and it would be even more likely on one made for a child. The front seat rail has a patch to the top at either end which is probably tidying up marks left by the removable retaining board. There are also filled holes further along the front rail and also to the inside edge of the front posts. These marks and patches are not easy to see but are revealed on close inspection. A curiosity are the two 'patches' to the front seat rail above the escutcheons. Your first thought is that they are support rails running from front to back. However, they are not and there is no sign that they ever were. They extend all the way through the front rail and have canning holes for the seat. Other than that they may have been something to do with the retaining board, we are at a loss as to their purpose.

The Cabin Bed has panelled back and sides and is double caned for a tidier finish. At some point, relatively recently, the caning has been replaced.

Cabin Beds were designed to be practical in the restricted space of a room on board ship. They offer three uses - a bed, a sofa and a chest of drawers. This piece of furniture still offers that same practicality although only a child could sleep on it. It's smaller size does make it useful as a two seater sofa. We have had a number of Cabin Beds before but only one other that was made for a child. That previous example differed in that it was made for a much younger child due to its higher seat which allowed for two rows of drawers below but was impractical to sit on. We have had the cushions made. A very useful piece of furniture. Mid 19th Century.

The height to the top of the cushion is 17 1/4 inches (44 cm).