Tubs
· Bathtubs
were not the norm.
· Often,
the bath was a simple foot bath or a bidet stool, reserved for women.
· 1840
to 1900 Top Hat Bathtub takes its name from its form in the shape of
a hat. The bather sat either on the bath’s ledge or on a chair outside the tub
with his or her feet and legs in the center of the basin. The spout for
emptying the bath water is beneath the ledge.
· 1840 to 1880 Full-size Adult Plunge Bathtub
 |
| Top Hat Bathtub from the Backus-Page House Museum collection. |
Bathing
· Until
the middle of the 19th century many believed bathing to be responsible for the
spread of disease and therefore harmful. It was not until well into the 20th
century that people became aware of the importance of bathing for health. It was believed too much bathing would
destroy your natural oils and leave you wide open to the ravages of various
diseases.
· Cold
versus warm water method of bathing. Cold for vigorous physical rejuvenation
and strength versus warm with luxury and the potential for overindulgence. Too much time in the bath and water that was
too hot were thought to weaken and debilitate, and were cautioned against.
· The 1850’s
bath, when medical bathing was at its height, was taken for health reasons and
came in a variety of temperatures, sizes, shapes and even substances. Hot, warm or cold, there was water bathing,
mud, air and even sunbathing. There were
foot baths, bottom baths and whole body baths.
One could take a plunge to soothe and calm your nerves, or to stimulate
and invigorate your circulation. There
were baths for skin problems, baths for liver and digestion difficulty, baths
for rheumatism and any number of nervous disorders.
· Occasionally hemlock branches and
herbs such as tansy, wormwood, and chamomile were steeped in a vapor or foot
bath to assist a cure, rather than to scent or cleanse the bath. The bather lay
or sat, wrapped in blankets, on strong sticks of wood set across a large tub of
scalding hot water and herbs.
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