Bunks Collection

Wagons-Lit company poster
Poster extolling the comforts of travelling by rail when you have luxurious sleeper bunks to relax in

Salvation Army shelter, Blackfriars, London, early 20th century (b/w photo)
530210 Salvation Army shelter, Blackfriars, London, early 20th century (b/w photo); (add.info.: The Penny Sit-Up for men, where the homeless could find shelter sitting on a bench for a penny a night)

Yacht Althea, engine room, between 1907 and 1915. Creator: Unknown
Yacht Althea, engine room, between 1907 and 1915. Engine made by Standard Motor Construction Company; Witherbee Igniter Co. dials in amperes and volts

'Les Trains Sanitaires; Comment sont Ramenes a l'interieur nos Grands Blesses, 1914. Creator: Unknown
'Les Trains Sanitaires; Comment sont Ramenes a l'interieur nos Grands Blesses, 1914. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919: Volume I". [L'Illustration, Paris, 1926]

RMS Queen Mary, Third Class Cabin Date: 1930s

With the Knights of Malta - the Luxury of a Smoke, Serbo-Bulgarian War, 1885 (1886) Creator: Unknown
With the Knights of Malta - the Luxury of a Smoke, Serbo-Bulgarian War, 1885 (1886). From, The Graphic. An Illustrated Weelky Newspaper Volume 33. January to June, 1886

Gloucester fishermen resting in their bunks after unloading their catch at the... New York, 1943. Creator: Gordon Parks
New York, New York. Gloucester fishermen resting in their bunks after unloading their catch at the Fulton fish market

Underground Lodgings for the Poor, Greenwich Street, New York, from Harpers Weekly
2836262 Underground Lodgings for the Poor, Greenwich Street, New York, from Harpers Weekly, pub. 1869 (engraving) by Frenzeny

Bed in Brittany (colour photo)
2804551 Bed in Brittany (colour photo) by French Photographer, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Bed in Brittany. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

French Railway News - more Couchettes put into service. 1951

Pro Bono Publico (litho)
779970 Pro Bono Publico (litho) by Leech, John (1817-64); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

Sleeping-bunks of the First Rhode Island Regiment, at the Patent Office, Washington, pub
1144561 Sleeping-bunks of the First Rhode Island Regiment, at the Patent Office, Washington, pub. 1861 (engraving) by American School

Female Emigration!, printed by R. Redman for G. S. Tregear, 90 Cheapside, London
STC255255 Female Emigration!, printed by R. Redman for G.S. Tregear, 90 Cheapside, London, October 1834 (litho) by Newman, W

Children taking an evening class at Elephant and Castle Station on the London Underground during the Blitz
6015278 Children taking an evening class at Elephant and Castle Station on the London Underground during the Blitz, World War II, 1940 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

News from the Home Village, 1889 (colour litho)
5231928 News from the Home Village, 1889 (colour litho) by Pasternak, Leonid Osipovic (1862-1945) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: News from the Home Village, 1889)

This was a sleeping car, from Around the World in Eighty Days
3501823 This was a sleeping car, from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (1828-1905) engraved by Adolphe FranAzois Pannemaker (1822-1900), 1873 (engraving) by Benett

Third class cabin aboard the Laurana (b / w photo)
STC255600 Third class cabin aboard the Laurana (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; English, out of copyright

The eve of departure to America - German emigrants departing for U. S
CHT199682 The eve of departure to America - German emigrants departing for U.S.A in the steerage section of an American liner at the port of Le Havre, c.1850 (engraving) (b/w photo) by Riou

Underground Lodgings for the Poor, Greenwich Street, New York, from Harpers Weekly, pub. 1869 (engraving)

The Temple of Jupiter, pub. 1764. Creator: Robert Adam (1728-92)
The Temple of Jupiter, from Ruins of the Palace of Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia, pub. 1764 (engraving)

Anne Bonny, female pirate
Anne Bonny, also known as Bonney (c.1700-1782), famous female buccaneer, pictured in a ships cabin pointing her pistol at two unsuspecting sailors in their bunks below deck. Date: c.1725

Chislehurst caves during WWII
Chislehurst caves, Kent, during WWII. Mothers in bunks and babies in cots deep underground in their cave shelter. 1944

WW1 - A ward car of an Ambulance Train built by the Caledonian Railway Company, on the order of the War Office, for conveyance of Wounded British soldiers in France from the Front to the Channel

AFS women resting in bunks, Southwark Fire Station, WW2
AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) women resting in bunks at Southwark Fire Station (Station 60), Southwark Bridge Road, SE1, during the Second World War

Homeward Bound - the Rush from the Riviera
Travellers returning from the French Riviera on a crowded train in the Spring of 1910. Such was the exodus from the Cote d Azur

Third Class Cabin on the Orient Line to Australia
Rather basic conditions in a 3rd Class Cabin on the Orient Line of Royal Mail Steamers, operating on the route to Australia. Date: 1915

Canadian Pacific to Canada and USA -- a Third Class Two-Berth Cabin. Date: circa 1930s

Canadian Pacific Third Class Four-Berth Cabin. Date: circa 1930s

AFS women, Southwark Fire Station, WW2
AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) women in their bunk room at Southwark Fire Station (Station 60), Southwark Bridge Road, SE1, during the Second World War. Date: circa 1940

Women as war-time firemen in their bunks
Members of the Womens Volunteer Reserve in bunks at the Holborn Union Workhouse for aged women, due to being in attendance day and night for duty. Date: 1916

British soldiers asleep in dugout bunks, WW1
British soldiers asleep in dugout bunks on the Western Front during World War One. Date: circa 1916

Sleeping Quarters in Douaumont Fort, c. 1916 (b / w photo)
XJF275667 Sleeping Quarters in Douaumont Fort, c.1916 (b/w photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

World War I 1914-1918: Morning in a German army hut in the Vosges, Lorraine, 1916. Some men are already up and dressed, while others are still in their bunks

AFS women, Southwark Fire Station, WW2
AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) women in their bunk room at Southwark Fire Station (Station 60), Southwark Bridge Road, SE1, during the Second World War

Bunk beds at New Cross LFB sub-station, London, WW2
Firemen and bunk beds put up in the basement from salvaged materials, at New Cross sub-station, Monson Road, SE London. The men were getting what sleep was possible during the hectic days

Early Breton Bunk beds
Ornate Early Breton Bunk beds, Brittany, France - will there be room for three?? Date: circa 1910

Torpedo Room of a U-boat, pre-Second World War
Photograph showing the crew of a German submarine (U-boat) relaxing in their bunks in the bow torpedo chamber, c.1938. This photograph shows the cramped conditions typically of the submarines that

Rough Hospitality in Siberia. A Post-House on the Way to the
Special Artist Julius Price sent sketches of his journey to the Orsk gold mines in Siberia back to the Illustrated London News Office and the sketches were then drawn up by R. Caton Woodville

Passengers going to bed on an Emigrant Ship, 1884
Engraving showing a man trying to get his children into their bunks at bed time on board an emigrant ship heading for America, 1884

The Interior of the Amundsen Antarctic Expeditions Winter Q
Photograph showing the living quarters of the hut used by Roald Amundsens Antarctic Expedition of 1910-12. Sleeping bunks, with curtains, line the edges of the hut, with the dining table in the centre

Eskimos - Aleutians
People of Unalaska, one of the Aleutian Islands (part of Alaska) - in their home, entered from above to conserve warmth. Bunks are arranged round the walls

Discipline at Newgate
General indiscipline amongst male inmates (young and old) in a dormitory cell at Newgate

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"Bunks: A Journey Through Time and Space" Step into the world of bunks, where history unfolds in these humble sleeping quarters. From the luxurious Wagons-Lit company poster to the cramped Third Class Cabin on RMS Queen Mary, they have witnessed it all. Imagine Anne Bonny, the fearless female pirate, resting in her bunk after a day of plundering and adventure. Or picture Chislehurst caves during WWII, where brave souls sought refuge in their bunks amidst the chaos of war. With the Knights of Malta, experience the opulence of a smoke-filled bunk as they relish in luxury during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Meanwhile, Uncle Tom's Cabin portrays heart-wrenching scenes with its vivid illustration "The Poor Bleeding Heart, " reminding us that even within these confined spaces, emotions run deep. In Gloucester fishermen's bunks after unloading their catch at New York harbor in 1943 captured by Gordon Parks' lens; exhaustion mingles with satisfaction. Underground Lodgings for the Poor on Greenwich Street reveals how bunks became havens for those less fortunate—a place to find solace amidst hardship. "Bed in Brittany" showcases a colorful photograph capturing tranquility and simplicity within a bunk setting—an escape from reality. French Railway News highlights increased comfort with more Couchettes put into service—bunk travel evolving over time. Pro Bono Publico lithograph reminds us that sometimes acts of kindness are found even within these small spaces—the power to make a difference lies everywhere. Lastly, Robert Walker's horse box from WW1 takes us back to soldiers finding respite and solace amid battlefields—a temporary sanctuary away from danger. Bunks tell stories—of restful nights or sleepless ones filled with dreams or nightmares. They offer shelter when needed most and bear witness to both triumphs and tragedies throughout history. Let us not forget their significance as we continue our journey through time and space.