Hard idea to grasp: Not all pillows were soft

Do you like hard pillows or soft pillows? It might depend on where you grew up. Homemade pillows were used in ancient Egypt, medieval Europe and early America.

In the mid-19th century, the Industrial Revolution and the evolving textile industry changed the way pillows were produced.

From homemade and hand-embroidered, they became machine-made. Bed pillows were stuffed with goose down or feathers.

But in China, pillows were very different. At first they were smooth stones.

Later, by the late sixth century, they were rectangular blocks made of wood, jade, bronze, porcelain or other ceramics.

Most had a curved top surface for the head. Porcelain pillows were made from the 10th to the 14th century, then were gradually replaced by pillows of other materials or even European-style stuffed pillows.

Porcelain and other hard pillows were decorated with animals, plants, people, mountains and even geometric designs.

Some had colorful glazes. Many were shaped like animals or small children.

Many collectors today do not realize that the decorated rectangles were pillows or headrests.

They are sometimes called “opium pillows” because opium users liked to lie on their sides using hard pillows.

They claimed that after smoking opium for a while, even a hard pillow felt “like a cloud.” Today collectors find few of the very old hard pillows, but 19th- and 20th-century replicas are available. The pillow shaped like a child is so popular as a decorative item that it is still being made.

Q. I have two Coca-Cola trays, “Menu Girl” and “Girl with Umbrella.” The writing on them is all in French. I can’t find any information about the trays. Can you help?

A. Your trays were probably made for the French-Canadian market in Quebec. “Menu Girl” was issued in 1950 and is worth about $25 today. “Girl with Umbrella,” issued in 1957, sells for about $125.

Tip

Never pick a chair up by the arms. Pick it up under the seat. The arms could loosen or crack.

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