Davenport (sofa) - Citizendia

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. A genericized trademark (also known as a generic trademark or proprietary eponym) is a Trademark or Brand name that has become the colloquial Kleenex is a Brand name for a variety of products such as Facial tissue, Bathroom tissue, Paper towels, and Diapers. History The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by Earle Dickson, an employee of Johnson & Johnson for his wife Josephine who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking The United States of America —commonly referred to as the World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including As it happens, the so-called Davenports of that region are often locally made sofa versions of the locally manufactured convertible Adirondack Chair. An Adirondack chair (or in some parts of Canada a Muskoka chair) is a type of Chair used primarily in an outdoors setting

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. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State.

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.

See also