|
Thomasville Furniture,
Ethan Allen,
Henredon Furniture,
Drexel Furniture, and
John Widdicomb to mention a few brand furniture names.
Davenport
is the name of a series of sofas manufactured by the now-defunct
A.H. Davenport Company. Due to the popularity of the furniture
at the time, the name "Davenport" has become a
genericized trademark like "Kleenex" or "Band-Aid"
and is often used as a synonym for "sofa", especially
in the Midwestern United States and in Northern New York
State, in the Adirondack Region and on the western flank
of that region in the Tughill Plateau, in villages such
as Camden, and especially amongst those born there before
World War II. As it happens, the so-called Davenports of
that region are often locally made sofa versions of the
locally manufactured convertible Adirondack Chair.
Among
the younger generations, the word has come to mean a more
formal sofa. In the Tughill and Adirondack regions in New
York, a Davenport may refer especially to a couch which,
like a modern futon lounge, converts on pivoting hinges
from a sofa to a bed.
DaVan
(d'van) was commonly used as slang for Davenport amongst
the "blue collared" families of the 1950s/60s
in areas of the Midwestern United States, especially Texas.
In
other areas of North America, the word Davenport is used
for a Futon-style sofa with storage under the seat area.
A
similar word, Daveno, also refers to a sofa or couch. The
term was more widely used in the 50's and 60's, particularly
in the Pacific Northwest. |
