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Combination Piano & Bed - Excerpt from "How Ohio Helped Invent the World"
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Charles Hess, of Cincinnati, Ohio was hopeful that his invention would be useful to people living in cramped apartments or boarding schools. His idea was to take an ordinary piano and design it to also contain a bureau, two closets and a bed. The left drawer in the front of the piano held bed clothing. The right side of the piano consisted of a four-drawer bureau and another closet, all hidden behind a false door. A trundle bed on rollers could be pulled out from underneath. Hinged to the bed was a headboard and footboard that could be swung up for decorative purposes. A thin framework could also be attached at each end of the bed for the support of mosquito netting or a bed curtain.
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The piano stool was just as versatile. The lower part could be used for storage, while the upper drawer could be swung up and used as a writing table. The cushioned seat was also
hinged, with enough room to hold a sewing kit and a small cushion for holding pins and needles. The seat itself was adjustable and could be elevated or lowered to suit the convenience of the piano player.
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Hess claimed that the extra additions to the piano did not distract from the quality of the music, but instead added considerably to its reverberatory power. As an added touch, his patent drawing shows a piece of sheet music on the piano, entitled “Rock me to sleep, Mother”.
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It must have been music to Hess’ ears when he heard that his idea had been granted patent #56,413 on July 17, 1866.
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Please click on the HOME button to get information on how to order Curt Dalton's latest book, "How Ohio Helped Invent the World".
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 daytondalton@prodigy.net
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