From the Collection
What do you think this piece of furniture is? Hint: we all have a version of one in our homes…
You may have guessed that this is a commode. Before the convenience of indoor plumbing, 19thcentury households used outdoor toilets. While outhouses could be readily used during the day, chamber pots, usually ceramic handled vessels, were kept under the beds for relief at night, or during inclement weather. They then were emptied into the outhouse and cleaned, usually every morning. For households of means, a commode like this one provided more comfortable use of the chamber pot, as well as a clever way of hiding it. The commode was constructed to look like a piece of furniture when closed; this one resembles a small chest of drawers. When open for use, the commode reveals a wooden toilet seat over the chamber pot, which could be removed through a lower door.