The Mystery of the Tiny Beds

As noted by a visitor to the blog, many who have visited Versailles - and other historical residences - have noted that the beds were remarkably small, especially compared to today. This might seem odd especially given the considerable proportions of the apartments.

One theory speculated that people used to sleep sitting upright which would not necessitate nearly as much room. While some people slept propped up on pillows for medical reasons - to prevent indigestion or lung issues - there is little evidence to suggest that it was common to sleep entirely upright all night. Rather, people would sleep somewhat lying down with pillows supporting the back. The reason for sleeping upright lies in superstition from the Middle Ages - only the dead or dying were lying flatly down. 

An explanation might be optical illusion. Many of the beds - including those at Versailles - are meticulously crafted pieces of furniture with all imaginable adornments. This flurry of ribbons, pillows or canopies all create the illusion that the bed is smaller than it actually is - especially when the pillars are considerably taller than the width of the bed. The curtains ensured both privacy for the occupant (convenient if one's servant is also sleeping in the room) but also helped retain some heat which was quite a challenge at Versailles. This is particularly the case for the four-poster beds whose heavy canopies often make the available sleeping area appear quite small. A good example is the bed in the apartment of Madame du Barry; upon first glance it looks quite short but is remarkably deep.

Private photo of mine taken in the apartment of 
Madame du Barry

Many of the parade beds - such as those of the king and queen - were meant to be used during the daily ceremonies that dominated court life. Both the lever (in the morning) and the coucher (in the evening) focused on respectively getting the royal in and out of bed. Naturally, they would be grander and more luxurious than a private bed might otherwise be. Most nobles residing at court would likely not have had room for a bed of similar proportions to that found in the royal chambers. Space was also a consideration before the move towards privacy which took off in the latter half of the 18th century. Prior to this period, it was common to receive visitors in one's bedroom which could therefore not be entirely occupied by a large bed.

Unusually, the queen's bed was larger than that of the king's. This was not due to childbirth - the birth itself taking place on a specialized birthing-bed - but rather the required act for that childbirth to take place at all. The queen never moved to the king's bed at night - on the contrary, the king would visit the queen's chamber for this purpose. Therefore, her bed needed to be wider than his.

The royal parade beds were also social indicators. The size of the canopy was dictated by the rank of the person owning the bed. For instance, only the higher-ranking aristocrats were permitted a canopy the width of the bed itself; the lower-ranking nobles had to make due with a smaller one. In this manner, the bed also became a status symbol.

Another private photo of mine - this time
of Marie Antoinette's bed

Finally, it should be kept in mind that people were slightly shorter a few centuries ago. While not as drastically shorter as has previously been theorised the average height was lower than it is today. For example, the French average height today is about 178 cm whereas it was 167 cm in the 18th century. Yet, several of the "main characters" of the court at Versailles were quite tall - Louis XVI measuring 1.93 cm, for instance. 

Interestingly, the trend of such small beds ended with the French Revolution - afterwards, even during the restoration, beds began assuming the proportions we know today and people began sleeping more like we do today.