The 1900s "Modern" Bathroom
The old one per household five-by-eight bathroom was
replaced with the latest in bathroom invention and
design.
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It
was at the dawn of the 20th century that
elaborate preparations for indoor bathing began
to distinguish the domestic architecture of the
day. The old one per household five-by-eight
bathroom, with its minimum of light and its dark
walnut wainscot and sheathing combined with the
untempting tin or copper tub, was replaced with
the latest in bathroom invention and design.
Moreover, the well-to-do home owner was no
longer content with just one bathroom for the
family or even a bathroom on every floor—now
each individual possessed his or her own
personal bathroom. Furthermore, a guest of the
home would not be permitted to skip a hurried
way down the hall in search of a tub, but would
have access to their own private space.
The first
necessity for this new modern bathroom was that it should be
sanitary; sanitary first and beautiful afterwards. By the
turn-of-the-century homeowners reached the point where they
began to realize what sanitary meant. Not only were the
bathrooms no longer built of wood, but the plumbing was now
always open to inspection. Hiding places for water-bugs and
accumulations of dirt and dust were carefully avoided with
every inch open to light, air, and the application of soap
and water. |
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 The subject of
piping required some consideration in building a new
bathroom or in re-piping an old one. Iron waste-pipes were
universally used, but iron supply pipes, although the
cheapest, were condemned because they were inclined to rust.
Lead piping was thought to be much better although with
certain kinds of water the lead was sometimes dissolved
sufficiently to make the water poisonous for drinking.
Brass pipes were deemed best, especially for hot water.
These were all nickel-plated in the most attractive
bathrooms because the nickel plate could be kept clean and
shining with comparatively little labor. It was necessary,
however, to polish it frequently because any neglected parts
quickly became covered with a greenish-gray oxide which was
very hard to remove. The proud housewife paid attention
that the plumbing was kept with most scrupulous care with
every pipe being made to shine like the silver on one's
table. |
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As
much thought was given to the modern bathroom’s color scheme
and decoration as to any other room in the house. The
homeowner gave as much space to their bathrooms as possible,
followed by much sunlight and fresh air. Even if the room
was small or dark, they would bring in brightness and cheer
with fresh white paint and porcelain, and increase the
impression of size by having as few furnishings as possible
for comfort and convenience, and by keeping the room always
in perfect order. The shining
cleanliness of the new piping of the turn-of-the-century
bathroom was beautiful, but
 when the homeowner added to that
the attraction of white porcelain and tiles, white woodwork,
polished nickel-plated fixtures, and the dainty light colors
of walls and furnishings, the room became an important
design feature of the home.
In the matter of
fixtures, many changes also took place. The tub and the
basin no longer completed the room. There was the shower,
the sitz, and the foot tub as well—each of porcelain and
each with its nickel-plated pipes. The most common material
for the tubs and washbasins was solid white porcelain since
most could not afford the hollowed-out blocks of marble of
millionaires. Porcelain was non-absorbent, looked clean and
was easily kept clean. |
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 The solid porcelain tubs were still
very expensive, however, and sometimes too heavy for a floor
not prepared especially for them. Porcelain enameled ware
was a material halfway in price between solid porcelain and
the ordinary enameled iron, but still answering the
requirements as well as the solid porcelain. It was a
peculiar combination of porcelain enamel and prepared iron,
which was warranted not to crack or discolor. The basins and
tubs all came in one solid piece without joints, and there
were innumerable graceful designs. There were basins with
standards and without standards, with nickel or enamel legs,
or supported and attached to the walls by means of brackets.
The bowls were generous in size, the protecting shield in
back broad or narrow, as desired, or utterly lacking if a
tile or marble wall was planned for behind the fixture. |
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 Tubs were long
or short, round at both ends, with the nickel-plated fixture
in the middle, or square at one end and curved at the other,
with the fixtures at the end. They were invariably raised
from the floor on ball feet unless they were solid to the
floor, so that no dirt could be lodged underneath them. The
prices varied with the sizes and styles. The larger tubs
were the more comfortable when one could afford both the
room and the price. The danger of slipping on the bottom of
a porcelain tub was very great for old people. To prevent
this rubber mats were manufactured to fit the bottom of the
tubs. These were much more effectual and certainly more
comfortable than the ridges provided in the bottom of some
of the tubs on ocean steamers to prevent similar accidents. |
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In the more
elaborately fitted-out bathrooms there were the shower-bath,
the shampoo attachment, the sitz bath, and the foot bath—all
delightful luxuries. The simpler showers, which were
attached over the tub with the necessary fixtures directly
in back of it and the rubber curtain hanging down into the
tub or behind it, were not extravagant luxuries, as a
result, they were found in many modern homes. There were
also more elaborate showers with porcelain bases that were
much more expensive. Another costly fixture was the
needle-bath, with the shower spraying from circular pipes on
all sides as well as from above. The sitz and the foot bath
were also made of the same material as the large tubs, and
with stationary faucets and pipes so that the carrying of
water was avoided. |
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The ideal
covering for the walls and floor of a bathroom was marble or
tiles, but very few could afford either the marble or an
entire covering of tiles. Tiles, however, were sometimes
used to advantage merely for a wainscot, or, if possible,
for a wainscot and floor, leaving the upper wall, which was
not directly exposed to the water for another
 decorative
treatment. A common treatment was to have white tiles for
the wainscot and floor, and cover the upper wall with one of
the attractive bathroom papers especially prepared for this
purpose, or to have the upper wall painted with oil-paints
in a delicate color with or without a simple stencil border.
For those who could not afford marble or tile, it was
necessary to use materials for floors that were made
non-absorbent. Soft wood floors would be covered with
linoleum. By the beginning of the 20th century,
linoleum designs were made reproducing tile and mosaic
effects in blue and white, black and white, and other color
combinations. They were very attractive and thought to
be barely distinguishable from the real tiles. |
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A hardwood floor was oiled, shellacked, or
waxed after all the cracks had been carefully filled. This
protective treatment would be repeated frequently. Old
hardwood floors were often painted with white enamel paint.
Combining daintily colored walls, a white standing finish,
porcelain or enamel fittings, and nickel-plated fixtures
made these less expensive rooms almost as attractive as
those with the white tile floors and wainscot. The most
appropriate rugs for the floor were the hand-woven cotton
rugs frequently recommended for bedrooms. They were made in
any color and were usually washable. Besides the permanent
rug on the floor there were cork mats or Turkish toweling,
which was removed after each bath. |
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Simple leaded
glass windows with colored glass were especially appropriate
for the modern 1900s bathroom since they rendered curtains
unnecessary; but an elaborate "art glass" was deemed very
much out of place. Without the colored glass, shades were a
necessity at night and curtains in the daytime. The curtains
would be of a washable material gathered on rods, without
ruffles or draping, and hung from poles, reaching only to
the sill. |
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The assortment
of accessories available for a modern bathroom was both
grand and charming. Open fireplaces were built, chairs or
marble seats provided, and perfumes, powders, nail files,
and the rest, arranged in cut glass or silver, were
available. The sponges and soap were kept in silver racks
or on decorated porcelain dishes. Embroidered towels hung
in profusion. Everything was either nickel-plated or plate
glass. Shelves were often of plate glass, and towel-rods and
tabletops were made of glass also. In the nickel plate
there were innumerable towel racks of all sizes, either with
swinging arms or attached at both ends. There were
soiled-towel receptacles, soap-dishes of all descriptions
for tub or shelf, sponge-holders for all sizes of sponges,
tumbler-holders, tooth-brush racks, comb and brush trays,
and hooks, large and small, all in the same shining metal.
Mirrors with narrow white flat frames were hung flat
against the wall over the basin or inserted into the wall.
Medicine cabinets in white enamel with a mirror inserted in
the door hung over the basin or on the side wall. If the
bathroom was large enough a cabinet for towels was a great
addition; an extra table or a dressing-table was a positive
luxury. A small bathroom scale in white enamel allowed the
members of the family to keep a careful watch of their
weight. |
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 A
turn-of-the-century issue of Harper’s Bazaar featured
a charming bathroom with a light green tile wainscot and
floor, and a paper above the wainscot with a design of
dainty fleur-de-lis in lavender, green, and white.
Dainty green muslin curtains hung at the windows, green and
white rugs covered the floor, and all the fixtures were pure
white. Another bathroom had a frieze of white seagulls
against a delicate light blue background, blue and white
rugs on the floor, and the tiles and other fixtures of
white. A different issue described a luxurious bathroom
with a white tiled floor and dado. On one side of the room
the dado disappeared as mirrors paneled in gilt Empire
frames came down to the floor. A pale pink stained glass
filled the windows, which were draped with curtains of
apple-green taffeta. The faucets were all gilded. No matter
what the size, every housekeeper prided herself on her
bathroom—the smallest and simplest being arranged with
infinite care.
Compiled and
edited by Melissa Haug
Source:
Harper's Bazaar, 1900-1907
Images:
Library of Congress:
The Historic American Buildings Survey
and the Historic American Engineering Record |
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