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Early hammocks -

No one is quite sure when the hammock first appeared. Some historians suggest it was invented by the ancient Greeks, but there is no pictorial evidence to support the theory. One of the earliest illustrations of a hammock is found in the 11th-century Old English Hexateuch, which depicts the biblical Joseph apparently seated in a cloth hammock on a chariot. Image: British Library 

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True origins -

Traditional hammocks originated in Central America, specifically 1,000 years ago during the Mayan civilization. The term "hammock" originated from a Taíno culture Arwakan word meaning "stretch of cloth," from the Arawak root -maka.

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Safe and practical -

Hammocks originally served a purely practical purpose. Attached to the trunks of tress, the suspended beds kept users at a safe distance from dangerous ground-dwelling creatures and insects. These early hammocks were woven out of tree bark, later replaced by plant fibers.

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Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) -

Christopher Columbus is credited with popularizing the hammock in Europe. He observed the widespread use of hammocks during his travels among the Taíno people in the Bahamas. Later, Spanish colonists brought with them cotton and canvas. These materials proved more comfortable and durable in the manufacture of suspended beds.

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Medieval canvas hammock -

The medieval canvas hammock is considered an English invention, and was probably not known on the continent when Columbus made his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. Image: British Library

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Hammocks at sea -

The first official mention of hammocks in the British Royal Navy is in 1597, when they are described as "hanging cabbons or beddes."

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On-deck sleeping choice -

By the early 17th century, the canvas hammock had been widely adopted by European navies as the primary on-deck sleeping choice. In fact, hammocks were used aboard ships for three centuries.

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Use during the American Civil War -

The USS Baron De Kalb, commissioned in 1862 and one the first ironclads constructed in America, is pictured patrolling a river during the American Civil War. The vessel's cramped crew quarters would have been furnished with canvas hammocks.

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Doing time in a hammock -

In the 19th century, many British correctional facilities began saving space and cutting costs by replacing traditional cots with hammocks, as this 1842 illustration of a cell inside Pentonville Prison clearly shows.

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A place to sleep -

It was also during the 1800s that the hammock started finding its way into English inns and boarding houses, made available by landlords and landladies as a cheap and space-saving alternative to a mattress.

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Leisure item -

Meanwhile, the hammock was being increasingly chosen as an item of leisure, used for swinging or resting. Pictured in the late 1800s is a family relaxing in a hammock in Minnesota.

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Desirable accessory -

Custom-made hammocks were manufactured with the wealthier client in mind. This lithographic trade card for Saratoga brand hammocks published in New York in 1881 features a fashionable woman swinging between trees on a woven hammock.

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The hammock as a plaything -

This charming 1890 photograph captures youngsters at play using a hammock in Rouxmesnil-Bouteilles, France.

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The hammock in art -

The hammock was regarded as a symbol of wealth in certain quarters and provided a suitable prop for artists such as French-Italian painter Joseph Frederic Charles Soulacroix (1858–1933), whose canvas 'Flirtation' features a romantic liaison between a couple, with the woman reclining on a thin rope hammock.

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First World War -

During the First World War, the hammock was used by conscripts in both seaborne vessels and trains as a means to sleep on long journeys. 

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Second World War -

Crew quarters on board ships during the Second World War invariably made use of the hammock to increase available space. In this photograph, Royal Marines are seen relaxing in their mess deck on board a ship in 1943.

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Alternative sleeping arrangements -

During the Blitz—the German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941— civilians sought shelter underground. In London, the Tube network of subterranean railways provided a safe haven during air raids. Here, hammocks slung between rails provide temporary beds for these three youngsters.

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The hammock's exotic appeal -

In the post-war period, as individual net worth increased and vacation travel became more widely available, the hammock was used in a variety of advertising campaigns to suggest a tropical lifestyle. This 1955 image promoting a Bounty candy bar reads: "New... far and away the most exotic chocolate treat."

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Fashion photography prop -

In fact, as the 1950s progressed, the hammock served as a useful accessory during fashion shoots. Here, three models feature in a creative setup in Cypress Gardens, Florida.

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Jungle hammock -

During the Vietnam War, both sides in the conflict resorted to sleeping in hammocks. They were convenient and could be set up almost anywhere. Hung well off jungle trails, North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces regularly slept in hammocks to keep down the incidence of disease and illness, spread by the bites of insects on the ground.

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The hammock as a stretcher -

In Vietnam, the hammock was also deployed for more humanitarian reasons. In addition to being used for sleep and relaxation, rope hammocks also acted as stretchers to carry the wounded to safety. 

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Moon hammock -

Perhaps the most surprising use of the hammock throughout history is its role during space exploration in the 1960s. Did you know that NASA designed a comfortable, lightweight sleep solution for astronauts? Yup, moon hammocks. During the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts Neil Armstrong (pictured) and Buzz Aldrin had difficulty sleeping on the floor of the lunar module after exploring the moon's surface. Subsequent missions were equipped with blankets, hammock insulators, and Velcro attachment pads to ensure crews got a good night's rest.

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Hollywood and the hammock -

The hammock has costarred in several movies throughout cinema history. In this scene from the 1961 French film 'La Bride sur le cou,' released in the US as 'Please, Not Now!,' Brigitte Bardot reclines comfortably in a braided hammock.

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'La Vie de château' (1966) -

Another French actress, Catherine Deneuve, is pictured reading in a hammock in a scene from 'La Vie de château,' known as 'A Matter of Resistance' in the US. She's with costar Philippe Noiret.

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'Blame It on Rio' (1984) -

Michael Caine and Michelle Johnson cuddle up together in this intimate hammock take from the romantic comedy, 'Blame It on Rio.'

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'The Beach' (2000) -

Leonardo DiCaprio contemplates his situation in Thailand while suspended in a hammock in this scene from Danny Boyle's 'The Beach.'

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'The Tailor of Panama' (2001) -

Jamie Lee Curtis weighs up her options while doing her best to relax in a hammock in 'The Tailor of Panama.'

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'Bad Boys II' (2003) -

Two's company in this scene from 'Bad Boys II,' with Will Smith and Gabrielle Union trying a hammock out for size.

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'The Motorcycle Diaries' (2004) -

Che Guevara (Gael García Bernal) and Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) contemplate the future during a pause in their two-wheel travels in 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' directed by Walter Salles.

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'Looper' (2012) -

Bruce Willis and Qing Xu share a tender moment together in a hammock in a scene from the science fiction movie 'Looper.' 

Sources: (La Siesta) (The British Library) (Ships Hub)

See also: Vintage celebrity bedtime moments

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