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Back to general description of the Bathroom ...
TOILET (Picture...)
The raised water tank above the toilet is original to this house.
In true Victorian fashion, the white china toilet is embellished with a raised floral motif. The manufacturer's mark can be seen under the wooden seat and reads, The John Douglas Company. The John Douglas Company was one of the early manufacturers of American bathroom fixtures and is the source of the colloquialism, "the john".
The toilet sits upon the original marble splash.
Plumbing in the late nineteenth century was not yet standardized. Every pipe fitter might thread his pipes differently, making every installation and repair a custom job. The pipes and trap associated with this sink employ five differently sized threads, none of them commercially available today.
The sink, along with the marble counter and backslash, is original to this house.
BATHTUB (Picture...)
The large bathtub has a center drain, rather than an end drain, again emphasizing the non-standardization of 1890s plumbing. The mixing water spigot is visible as the circular nickel fixture within the tub itself. The trap is set inside the wall behind the bathtub and is accessible from the houseboy's room.
Very few people had shower heads installed above the bathtub before the early decades of the twentieth century.
WASHSTAND & 3 WAY MIRROR
(Mirror Picture...)
(Washstand Picture...)
On the washstand are period medicines and toilet preparations. Above it hangs the Victorian version of the three-way make-up mirror. Although face powder was considered a necessity by many women, no other make-up was worn during the 1890s. This mirror would have been used to check one's hair arrangement, or to aid a gentleman in shaving.