Chamber Pot

Creator:

Unknown

Creation Date:

unknown

Accession Number:

Demonstration Collection

Most houses, especially in rural areas, did not have indoor plumbing before 1950 or later, so outhouses were the most common facilities to take care of essential personal business. Convenience and sanitation varied widely: a family may build their own outhouse, but not have space to set it up at a safe distance from their water supply. If they didn’t have space, they might depend on an outhouse or privy that served the entire farm where they worked. And if that wasn’t accessible, houses had a chamber pot that they would empty outdoors.