Go-to-bed or getting-into-bed matchboxes were a variety of match

Match

A match is a tool for starting a fire under controlled conditions. A typical modern match is made of a small wooden stick or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface...

 storage box popular in the mid-to-late 19th century. Relatively small, about 6 cm high, they were frequently made of metal of some kind, though sometimes of wood or ivory.

Most incorporated a rough surface on which the match could be struck. All featured a small hole or finial

Finial

The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...

, sometimes in ivory and always part of the design, into which the lighted match could be placed, rather like a miniature candle

Candle

A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...

. The idea was that, rather than risk taking a lighted candle near to the voluminous fabric of a four poster bed

Four poster bed

A four-poster bed is a bed with four vertical columns, one in each corner, that support a tester, or upper panel. There are a number of antique four-poster beds extant dating to the 16th century and earlier; many of these early beds are highly ornate and are made from oak...

, the lighted match on the mantelpiece

Fireplace mantel

Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...

 would burn for some 30 seconds — just long enough for the person to snuff out the candle and get into bed.

There is huge variety in the designs of these little pieces. Some were relatively simple boxes or cylindrical containers, some were barrels in wood or metal, while others were cast metal figures in a wide variety of designs. Private collections include castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

 towers, a Napoleonic

Napoleon III of France

Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...

 soldier of the Second Empire

Second French Empire

The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...

, a Gothic knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

 holding a torch, a little boy selling newspapers, a bear chained to a ragged staff, and so on. Other designs feature flower seller

Flower seller

A flower seller, normally a woman, traditionally sells flowers on the street. Often the flowers are carried, in a basket for example. The subject matter has been a favorite of artists. The profession has mostly died out in countries like the United Kingdom, but still exists in others such as India....

s and exotic ladies with a separate 'basket' in which the matches were stored.

One specific variety of go-to-bed worthy of mention is 'Prince Albert's Safety Vesta Box'. This was a decorated brass tub with an embossed top. Ribbed under base for striking matches, it had a small finial to take a single match on top, and was marked 'Prince Albert's Safety Box, 150 Patent Vesta Lights'.

See also

• Matchbox
  Matchbox
  A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood designed to hold matches. It usually has a coarse striking surface on one edge for lighting the matches contained inside....
  
   - disposable match containers.
• Phillumeny - the collecting of match related items.