Bed Steps
Maker
Unknown
Datec. 1800-1825
MediumMahogany, leather, and gilding
Dimensions25 3/8 × 18 5/8 × 29 1/8 inches (64.5 × 47.3 × 74 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number2020.1
On View
Not on viewCollections
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThis is a three-stair Regency style mahogany bed steps with turned legs and hinged lids on the top two steps. The top step opens to an interior storage space, which held the bedside chamber pot handily beside the bed. The second step is also a drawer.
In the early 19th century, when these bed steps were used, beds of the wealthy were composed of many different layers of mattresses, featherbeds, blankets, and coverlets, sometimes piled so high that steps were needed to get into the bed.
As the 19th century progressed and indoor plumbing more commonplace, water closets soon replaced chamber pots in the home. The bedside chamber pot would still have been in use in households such as the Owens-Thomas House, with small children and elderly in residence, and enslaved household staff to empty and clean them.