Antique Oak Full Bed — Carved Crest, Oshkosh Furniture Co. Label, c.1890s

A full-size bed in solid oak, retailed through the Oshkosh Furniture Co. of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an original paper delivery label surviving on the back rail — bearing the handwritten name "Hollingsworth," a partially legible date consistent with the 1890s, and the Iowa delivery destination. Oshkosh was one of Wisconsin's most productive furniture centers in this period, with its mills and factories accounting for more than eight percent of the state's total furniture output by 1900; a piece bearing an original retail label from that trade is a genuine rarity. The headboard rises on wide horizontal oak planks crowned by a shaped serpentine crest with deeply carved acanthus scrollwork, a central shell motif, and a foliate urn cartouche — the vocabulary of American Victorian bedroom furniture at its most confident. The swirling, cathedral-patterned oak grain shifts from amber to warm chestnut across the planks, doing as much visual work as the carving above it. The footboard is clean and unadorned, paneled in matched oak with a rounded cap rail and square tapered legs.

Lot includes headboard, footboard, and side rails and slats. Mattress and bedding not included.

CONDITION

Good. The frame is sturdy and structurally sound throughout. Scuffing present on surfaces consistent with age and use; a gouge on the left side of the headboard stile. Wire reinforcement visible on the lower portion of the headboard. Original dealer label is fragile and partially illegible but intact.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 72½" H × 55" W × 77¾" D
• Bed Size: Full
• Material: Solid oak
• Retailer: Oshkosh Furniture Co., Oshkosh, Wisconsin
• Provenance: Original paper delivery label present; handwritten customer name "Hollingsworth," delivery destination Iowa, partial date c.1890s
• Mattress& Bedding: Not included