I'd like to know about what kind of materials and processes were used to make 1600s- early 1700s ( before the industrial revolution) bed mattresses. What would it feel like if you laid down on one of these beds today?
Specifically, for the wealthy. Since I already have a pretty good idea that the poor probably still slept on straw.
I'm no expert, but will ask if you're thinking specifically of Europe of the 17th and 18th C?
I suspect even within Europe you'll see different beds in different settings. Probably something quite grand in the court of like Louis XIV.
I've seen peculiarly short beds (~5 ft in length) of this period at e.g. Falkland Palace (Fife, Scotland), and these were firm by my yardstick, and appeared to be stuffed with springy horse hair stuffing within a cotton ticking mattress cover.
Note that the customary sleeping posture of the time seems to have been semi-upright http://stores.renstore.com/history-and-traditions/sleep-in-the-middle-ages#.VRnoIeFuRIY. This as well as a shorter stature than in current times may go some way to explaining the shorter bed length.