“I have furniture that goes back to Louis the 14th. That is, unless I can pay him by the 13th”

People who have furniture that goes back to the era of Louis XIV (1638-1715) like to brag about it, and there’s a popular joke. “I have furniture that goes back to Louis the 14th… that is, unless, I can pay him by the 13th” was posted on Reddit—ApparentJokes on July 7, 2021. Forms of the joke date back to the 1920s.
     
“Mr. Oldboy—I suppose you know this fine furniture goes back to Louis XIV.? Mr. Youngun—Louis XIV. be hanged! I’ve bought it and I mean to keep it” was printed in the Lansing (MI) State Journal on May 6, 1921. “In many houses, some of the furniture goes back to Louis XIV, and some of it goes back to the installment house at the end of the month” was printed in the San Francisco (CA) Examiner on September 15, 1926. “PERIOD FURNITURE ‘She says that some of her furniture goes back to Louis XIV.’ ‘Maybe it does, and a lot more goes back to the installment house if she doesn’t soon pay up.’—From the Boston Transcript” was printed in the Richmond (IN) Palladium and Sun-Telegram on January 5, 1927, and was reprinted in many other newspapers.
   
     
Wikipedia: Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any sovereign in history whose date is verifiable. Although Louis XIV’s France was emblematic of the age of absolutism in Europe, the King surrounded himself with a variety of significant political, military, and cultural figures, such as Bossuet, Colbert, Le Brun, Le Nôtre, Lully, Mazarin, Molière, Racine, Turenne, and Vauban.
 
Newspapers.com
6 May 1921, Lansing (MI) State Journal, pg. 14, col. 6:
Not So Easy.
Mr. Oldboy—I suppose you know this fine furniture goes back to Louis XIV.?
Mr. Youngun—Louis XIV. be hanged! I’ve bought it and I mean to keep it.
   
Newspapers.com
15 September 1926, San Francisco (CA) Examiner, “Stars and Stripes,” pg. 5, col. 1:
In many houses, some of the furniture goes back to Louis XIV, and some of it goes back to the installment house at the end of the month.
 
Newspapers.com
5 January 1927, Richmond (IN) Palladium and Sun-Telegram, pg. 9, col. 6:
PERIOD FURNITURE
“She says that some of her furniture goes back to Louis XIV.”
 
“Maybe it does, and a lot more goes back to the installment house if she doesn’t soon pay up.”—From the Boston Transcript.
 
Newspapers.com
6 April 1931, Decatur (AL) Daily, “The Loud Speaker” by H. L. Peterson, pg. 2, col. 2:
“We have a piece of furniture that goes back to Louis the Fourteenth.”
 
“That’s nothing. Every bit of our furniture goes back to Sterchi’s tomorrow.”
   
Newspapers.com
21 December 1973, Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT), “Our Man Jones” by Harry Jones, Pg. A3, col. 6:
Mary reminded me of the joke that is dated back to vaudeville. “My furniture goes back to Louis the 14th.”
 
And, the answer, “That’s nothing. Mine goes back to Sears on the 16th.”
 
Newspapers.com
5 July 1979, The Messenger (Passaic, NJ), “The Listening Post” by Peter Cristafi, pg. 8, col. 2:
He claims his furniture goes back to Louis 14th. It will, if he doesn’t pay Louis before the 14th.
 
Newspapers.com
18 December 1983, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), “Main streets…and side roads” by Richard W. Jaeger, sec. 4, pg. 2, col. 4:
Pre-charge card
Our furniture goes back to Louis the 14th. If it isn’t paid by the 14th, Louis will come and get it.—Iron County Minor.
 
Google Books
Phillips’ Book of Great Thoughts, Funny Sayings:
A stupendous collection of quotes, quips, epigrams, witticisms, and humorous comments
By Bob Phillips
Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
1993
Pg. ?:
FURNITURE
Our furniture goes back to Louis XIVth unless we pay Louis before the 14th.
 
Google Groups: rec.music.country.western
Country Folk
Jay Langford
Apr 13, 1998, 3:00:00 AM
(...)
You missed the “jist” of this post. I was just thinkin’ back about the things the older folks had to do to exist. I’m not puttin’ any blame on anybody. Just trying to portray the conditions that existed when the old songs were written. Thats why a lot of these songs were about hard times, like: “One lady says her furniture goes back to Louis, the 14th; and the other says, “I know what you mean; Our’s goes back to Sears and Rareback the 6th. Fun to talk about this stuff, even though it was sad.
   
Google Groups: alt.tasteless.jokes
Not everything he’s cracked up to be…
G. P.
Jul 6, 2002, 4:08:26 PM
My furniture goes back to Louis the 14th (It will, if Louis doesn’t get paid before the 14th).
     
Google Groups: fun-jokes
FW: Fun-E-Mail (unknown)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Dec 18, 2005, 3:51:13 PM
(...)
My furniture goes back to Louis the 14th.
That is, if Louis isn’t paid by the 13th.
 
Twitter
God_Is_Still_Dead
@Shambo
Shamfeld says: “All my furniture goes back to Louis XIV, unless I pay Louis before the 14th.”
7:11 PM · Feb 3, 2010
   
Twitter
Paulo Lucas
@71Buddy
My first tweet here’s a little laugh-  The furniture in my flat goes back to Louis the 14th,that is unless i pay Louis by the 14th!...lol…
2:09 PM · Aug 29, 2010
   
Twitter
Ricky Bishop Jr
@RickyBishopJr
Our furniture goes back to Louis XIV unless we pay Louis before the 14th.
8:13 AM · Dec 31, 2010
     
Google Books
The Mammoth Book of One-Liners
Edited by Geoff Tibballs
London, UK: Constable & Robinson Ltd
2012
Pg. ?:
Our furniture goes back to Louis XIV – unless we pay Louis before the fourteenth.
 
Twitter
A League of Extraordinary Movers
@theonlymovers
Joke of the Day: Our furniture goes back to Louis XIV, unless we pay Louis before the 14th. #funny #moverjokes #moving #aleague
9:58 AM · Jul 31, 2014
 
Reddit—ApparentJokes
Posted by u/DokCyber July 7, 2021
I have furniture that goes back to Louis the 14th… that is, unless, I can pay him by the 13th…
     
Twitter
Doc 
@DocAtCDI
I have furniture that goes back to Louis the 14th…
that is, unless, I can pay him by the 13th…
5:28 AM · Jan 9, 2022
 
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/EndersGame_Reviewer November 24, 2022
This furniture goes back to Louis the 14th.
Really?
Yes, unless we pay Louis by the 13th.
 
Twitter
Robert Wilkinson
@robertwlk
My furniture goes back to Louis the 14th.
Unless I pay Louis by the 13th.
3:12 AM · Dec 3, 2022