Back When Davenports Made The News

It's 1936 and women are being encouraged to have sleep-overs -- as long as the furniture is discreet. Why else would the newspaper be pushing sofa beds?

First it was a day bed and it was kept in the sewing room or the children's playroom where it served for guests. Then it evolved into the studio couch and it found a life of service in the one-room apartment. Now it is a sofa bed and has a definite place in the living room where it is hardly distinguishable from the ordinary sofa, davenport or love seat.

The newest versions of this two-purpose piece of furniture are offering interesting innovations both in appearance and in operation. Practically all of them are provided with backs of some sort, so that the cushions need not stand against a wall in order to maintain an upright position; and many of them have sides. Perhaps newest of them all is the love seat which opens into a four-foot bed.

Scans from The Milwaukee Journal (Sunday, August 9, 1936) sent from Silent Porn Star * (yup, adult content present at site), who wrote about the Sanity in Art movement article.