Keeping Warm

Clothing was a big part of keeping warm.

Beginning at the body the layers began to keep the body warm.

Ladies wore shawls to keep their shoulders and arms warm just like we wear a jacket now.

Not only outdoors but indoors also. It wasn't uncommon for a blanket to be placed over the legs and the rocker was pulled up to the fire.

Of course fire in a stove or fireplace warmed the home.

At night a bed warmer was put into the bed.

Below is a few examples of bed warmers I found on etsy.

After a quick Etsy search I found a few examples of antique bed warmers.

They were filled with hot coals or hot water, then put in the bed before you went to bed to warm up the bed. I believe they were removed before the occupants went to bed. (I would not want to sleep with hot coals, I'd burn my house down.)

Have you ever thought about the history of a "canopy" bed? I have not researched it to great lengths but it makes sense to me and from the little bit I've read, bedrooms were large and hard to heat. The heavy drapes made heating the bed with a bedwarmer and or body heat a little easier.

Below is an example of a canopy bed in the Hart House in Ipswich Massachusetts

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/6887

Room from the Hart House, Ipswich, Massachusetts1680

Here is an example of a bedwarmer by a bedroom fireplace would look like.

Samuel Hart Room, Interior: room from the Thomas Hart House, Ipswich, Mass., built ca. 1640. Detail, fireplace. Third floor, gallery M27

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/6887

Since I don't have a wood burning stove in my 1960s ranch style home, I will have to opt out of the coal holder bedwarmer. And go with a more modern hotwater bottle ⚠️.

Although I'm not sure how modern a hot water bottle is. As long as there was a way to boil water and something to put it in there could have a hot water bottle. So exactly how can we determine when it was invented?

⚠️ Note of caution: never fill water bottle with water exceeding 120 degrees. That is the temperature most hotwater heaters are set for. They are set at that temperature to avoid scalding if one should accidentally only get the hotwater turned on.