The three leaf Clover, symbolizing Irish pride, was coined by St. Patrick to represent the Holy Trinity. We discover this bed, with it’s beautiful large Three Leaf Clover castings, in a predominantly Irish neighborhood of Chicago.
Beginning in 1845 and lasting for six years, the potato famine, in Ireland, killed over a million men, women and children and caused another million to flee the country. Many of those fortunate enough to have escaped one of the most devastating famines in history, settled in Chicago. Which at the time was only 8 years old with a population of only 6000, …..giving the Irish an opportunity to be a part of and contribute to the growth of Chicago from it’s inception. Steelmills and the development of the railroad were areas of economic development the Irish helped pioneer. So it’s not unusual that symbols of Irish pride and good fortune would find their way into such things as iron beds, that foundries of the time were producing.
This bed is from the mid-1800’s and one of the finer examples of the craftsmanship that small independently owned foundries, of that period, were producing.
If you happen to have an antique iron bed, you might want to check the detailing on it’s castings. Although decorative in nature, they often held more meaning than you might imagine. Numerous floral castings all held certain meaning, as did fruits such a pineapples for hospitality and artichokes symbolize “peace”.