This conference is being held as part of a year long celebratory exhibition of beds at bedrooms at Temple Newsam House, following the restoration of the Queen Anne State Bed from Hinton House. The conference brings together both museum professionals and scholars to share insights on historic beds and bedrooms in order to further understanding and inform the interpretation of beds and bedroom interiors. …

Topics to consider are:

Conservation or restoration projects related to beds and bedroom interiors
Material culture of the bedroom; waking up, going to sleep, making and cleaning beds and other rituals and practices associated with the bedroom
Interpretation of beds and bedrooms to different audiences within museums and other heritage settings
Upholstery and textiles of the bedroom
Types of beds, nomenclature, materials and construction
The bedroom and its place in relation to other domestic spaces.

Deadline for titles and abstracts (no more than 300 words): 30th January 2012.

Call for Papers: Bedtime Stories – Beds and Bedding in Britain, 1650-1850