We now come to a totally different kind of furniture, known in this country as a couch, but in England called a day-bed and by the French a chaise longue. The latter name is the best description, for it is truly a long chair.

As the settles and double chairs were pieces on which to sit, so couches were intended to lie upon, and as they are to be found in almost all the designs for chairs, from the turned variety through the Empire style, they very evidently formed parts of sets with their corresponding chairs. To substantiate this the inventories show, at Boston, 1702, "7 cane chairs, 1 couch & squab"; in the same year, "1 Doz. cane chairs with black frames 1 couch ditto"; at Philadelphia, 1686, "1 cane couch & 8 cane chairs."

As might be expected from the character of the settlements and from the fact that the couches were placed at high valuations, they appear first and more frequently in the South; in fact, they were very common throughout the South, as many as twenty-two being mentioned in the inventories at Yorktown between 1645 and 1670. At Yorktown, in 1647, "1 old turned couch" is mentioned, which would indicate that the piece was of considerably earlier date than the entry, and another is mentioned in an inventory of 1645. We do not find couches inventoried among the more sturdy New Englanders earlier than the inventory of John Cotton, of Boston, in 1652.

After that date we find them occasionally mentioned in the North and frequently in the South, but the descriptions give little aid in determining their character. At Yorktown, in 1658, mention is made of "a skin couch"; in 1659, "a wainscoate couch"; in 1667, "1 couch cubbard." At New York, in 1691, we find "3 couches £3"; at Yorktown, in 1692, "1 couch Turkey worked 10s"; at Boston, in 1698, "an old couch," in 1700, "a red couch," and in 1709, "one couch covered"; at Philadelphia, in 1686, "1 cane couch £1," and in 1706, "1 good cane couch £2"; at Providence, in 1732, "an old couch £2."

These early couches were really long chairs; that is, they were without backs on the long side, while on one end there was a back similar to a chair back of the period to which it belongs, with three pairs of front legs making an elongated chair.

Figure 637. Cane Couch, Flemish style, 1670-80.

Figure 638. Cane Couch with Spanish feet, 1680-90.

Figure 637 shows an example of what was referred to in the inventories as a cane couch. It belongs to the first type of cane chairs. The feet are in the form of the elaborated Flemish scroll. The carved stretchers which follow the design of the cresting extend not only on both sides, but on the end, which is unusual. The splat is hinged at the bottom and lets down on chains to any desired angle. This piece belongs to Mr. F. O. Pierce, of Brooklyn, in whose family it has always been.

Figure 638 is another example of a cane couch; the cresting and stretchers are carved in a mixture of Moorish and European style known as the Mudejar style. The piece really belongs to the second type of cane chairs, although the stiles extend beyond the cresting; but this method of construction was necessary to enable the back to swing out. The legs are turned and terminate in very fine Spanish feet. The stretcher at the end is not carved. This beautiful couch was the property of the late William G. Boardman, of Hartford, Connecticut.

Figure 639. Turned Couch, Pennsylvania type, about 1700.

Figures 639 and 640 are two very good examples of turned couches in the form found in Pennsylvania, showing the influence of the Pennsylvania Dutch, the legs resembling those found on the slat-back chairs found in the same vicinity (Figure 429). The turnings are large and the ball feet at each end are slightly different from the centre pair. This is another characteristic of the style. The turned bracings are heavy and are alternately set low and high to avoid weakening the legs. The backs swing as in the preceding type. The turnings of these two couches are identical, except for the stiles, which in Figure 639 are nicely turned. The backs differ slightly. Figure 639 has an arched cresting with three slats, while Figure 640 has a waving cresting with three splats in the well-known Dutch style. Figure 639 is the earlier and is the property of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest. Figure 640 belongs to the writer. It originally had a rush seat.

Figure 641 shows another turned couch in the form found in New England. It will be noted that it is more graceful than the Pennsylvania type, with more delicate turning, and it more clearly resembles the chairs of the period. The cresting is moulded in the same form as the cane couch shown in Figure 638. All of the stretchers, including those inside, are turned in the vase-and-ring pattern. This couch belongs to Mr. Hollis French, of Boston.

Figure 640. Turned Couch, Pennsylvania type, about 1700.

Figure 642 shows a very simple couch with a back of the Dutch period. There are but three pairs of legs, and the stretchers, except at the end, are not turned. This couch belongs to Robbins Brothers, of Hartford.

Figure 643 shows a couch in the transition period, closely resembling the chairs shown in Figure 490, and was probably made as a companion piece for such a set. The back is in the Dutch style. The legs are turned, terminating in Spanish feet, and all of the stretchers and bracings are turned in the vase-and-ring pattern. The seat is of canvas, made in three pieces: two narrow strips, each fastened to one side and an end, and one large strip fastened to one end and side. The canvas is stretched taut by drawing the pieces together with a cord passed through holes in the canvas. The edges of the canvas, which are nailed to the frame, are finished with rawhide strips. The couch is the property of the writer.

Figure 641. Turned Couch, New England style, about 1700.

Figure 642. Turned Couch, Dutch style, 1700-15.

Figure 643. Turned Couch, Dutch style, about 1720.