When I was very little,
my mother bought a fainting couch. This is a 19th
century backless couch with one raised end, suitable for a woman in full Victorian
skirts to rest on when she felt faint (probably because she was wearing a
corset). Sigmund Freud used something like a fainting couch for his
patients. My mother initially used it in her living room but it eventually
moved into her art studio as a model’s stand. Last weekend, she gave it
to me (and thus begins yet another project in my life).
The fainting couch is solidly built but shows its age. It needs repair and
a new covering. It is Egyptian Eastlake in style, probably walnut over 125 years
old. So far, we have taken it to the antique furniture workshop (for a preliminary
review) and then to an upholsterer (to have the current covering removed before
more work starts). By the end of the summer at the soonest, the fainting couch
will be ready to move into our backyard caboose.
Look at the photos below to see why this couch is worth the trouble –
note the greek key, papyrus flowers, and toes with claws carved and stamped into
its legs and feet. This is an interesting and useful piece of furniture!
Studio couch (under a red sheet)
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Couch carving
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Couch carving
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View from the foot
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Side view
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Into the workshop
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Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson
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