Sleigh Beds - are common and moderately priced unless they bear the mark of an important maker. Basically a classical couch adapted as a bed , the sleigh bed was popular in this country from the early to the mid-19th century. Labeled pieces show that sleight beds were made in virtually every city with active cabinetmakers, from the East Coats to the Mississippi. While the basic form is Empire, some examples have Rococo or Gothic motifs.

Rococo Revival Beds - designs range from relatively simple example to those as elaborate and exuberant as the one shown in the image above. In 1856 John Henry Belter received a patent for a bed frame like the one shown in this photo, but simpler and in 2 parts instead of 4. Although other furniture makers created similar pieces, when such beds with undulating sides are exceptionally carved and made of fine laminated wood, they are genrally attributed to Belter. Some may bear Belter's stamped mark on a cross stretcher or inner block.

Renaissance Revival Beds - Cottage furniture was made an dsold in sets, including washstands and dressers, so collectors may wish to look for mathcing pieces. As it is only just begining to attract the attention of collectors, painted pine cottage furniture is both plentiful and inexpensive. Furniture wqith painted decoration was first mass-produced by factories in Pennsylvania and New England. This type of furniture is often called cottage furniture, for it was inexpensive enought o be used in worker's cottages as well as in the summer cottages of the well-to-do.