Revolution in the Bedroom – exhibition in National Museum
The first exhibition of old bedroom furniture on such a large scale in the National Museum.
When did the production of marriage beds begin? What was the chair of cleanliness used for and why did people sleep in a half-sitting position in the past? You can find answers to these and other questions when watching a new temporary exhibition prepared by the National Museum in Wroclaw. It presents furniture used in bedrooms many years ago and is the first exhibition of this kind on such a large scale.
The 19th century brought a revolution in the design of beds and the furnishing of bedrooms. It was influenced by changes that occurred in almost all spheres of life at that time. The events of the Great French Revolution, the emergence of the rich bourgeoisie and increasingly wealthy middle class, the progress of medicine and psychology and broader access to culture and art altered the customs and lifestyle of Europeans.
At the exhibition, you can see the most fashionable bed model during the Empire period – lit en bateau or lit en gondole (the name refers to its shape resembling a boat), as well as examples of biedermeier beds, neo-Rococo, neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance beds and a marriage bed in neo-Classicistic style. The exhibition will be supplemented with two metal beds: a child’s bed and a collapsible bed for adults produced by Konrad and Jarnuszkiewicz – a famous Warsaw-based company.
