Edmund Adolphus Kirby’s patent specification for an “adjusting couch”, to be used for medical, surgical, and general purposes (1852–1854).

Featured on PDR in the essay Postures of Transport: Sex, God, and Rocking Chairs

What if chairs had the ability to shift our state of consciousness, transporting the imagination into distant landscapes and ecstatic experiences, both religious and erotic? In an essay about the British and American fascination with rocking chairs and upholstery springs in the 19th century, Hunter Dukes discovers how simple furniture technologies allowed armchair travelers to explore worlds beyond their own.

Patent Specification for an “Adjusting Couch”

Artist

Date

1852–4


Underlying Rights

Public Domain Worldwide

Digital Rights

No Additional Rights


Image Size

1400 x 999

 Download Image