So what could iron beds and the Statue of Liberty have in common? Well …..take a look at the casting that I had on the corners of one I had. I’ve actually had numerous metal beds with variations of this casting. Recognize it???? It’s a “torch” .
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States.
Because of the Statue of Liberty the “torch” became a very popular theme used in furniture, fabric’s and throughout household goods and advertising.
So it was only natural that metal bed manufactures would use the “torch” in the design of their castings. Most of the beds that I’ve had that had “Torches” on them, were ones that had corner castings or four poster styles that a corner torch looked appropriate.
Some of those beds that were simpler in design utilized the “torch” to class up their individual designs. Other 
bed foundries found the torch to be emblematic of the new found freedom our country was getting use to .
Iron beds were not about to be left out of the symbolism that was sweeping our new nation. The torch seemed a perfect way of expressing those patriotic feelings of the time.
