My Favorite Piece of Furniture

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is a fainting couch. Fainting couches can be elegant and sophisticated, especially in the Victorian era in the 1800s. I do not own one, but I really would like to.  I am very intrigued by their history.

A fainting couch has no backrest or just a partial one. Fainting couches are usually raised for reclining at one end. They can have one armrest or two. They offer comfort as to where a person can half sit or lie down. 

Fainting couches have a unique, interesting history. These couches were not commonly referred to as fainting couches until the 19th century. The fainting couch has been referred to as a chaise lounge, a Grecian couch, and a Récamier couch. They were very popular in the Victorian period. Some people think a daybed is the same as a fainting couch or a chaise lounge. A daybed has a full backrest, therefore it is not considered to be a proper fainting couch. In the early 1800s, French artist Jacques-Louis David painted a famous portrait of Madame Récamier, a popular socialite. This is how it became known as the Récamier couch. It must have two armrests (one at each end) to be considered a true Récamier couch.

Madame Récamier painting (1800)

 

Fainting couches were made for women in the 1800s. Most of these women wore corsets. Corsets kept women breathless, which made them more likely to faint. Women needed larger than average chairs to accommodate their fashionable hooped skirts. Therefore the fainting couch was a suitable piece of furniture to collapse on. Some homes and hotels had fainting rooms set up to where the women could catch their breath on a fainting couch.