A SLICE OF VICTORIAN LIFE - PART V by Pam North Bed, bath and beyond - the more intimate rooms in yesteryear's Victorian homes had a charm and style all their own. Beds were constructed of iron or brass, or elaborately carved wood; feather mattresses and starched, ironed linens completed the ensemble. In winter, the bed was warmed by a stone hot water bottle inserted beneath the bedclothes, or a metal pan containing hot coals was held by its wooden handle and passed over the linens. Night clothes (long gowns for females, and nightshirts for males) were laid upon the bed in preparation for bedtime. A dressing table held essentials for the lady, such as hairbrushes, hairpins and hatpins, and a hair receiver. The latter was a lidded china bowl in which she placed the hair pulled from her brush; the hair was later used to make "rats," the small tufts worked into the elaborate feminine coiffures of the era, or sometimes used in "hair art," in which the hair was twisted onto wire and formed into decorative objects and mementos. A fireplace with a mantel was a focal point on one wall of the bedroom, and armoires served as closets. Chamberpots were kept discreetly under the edge of the bed for convenience, and had to be emptied each morning, and a pitcher and basin of water were placed on a stand for washing before retiring or upon rising in the morning. Candles and oil lamps provided light. Those unfortunate to have trouble sleeping (bedbugs sometimes plagued them) could resort to laudanum, which was a solution containing opium. Nearly every family had a supply in their medicine chest, and opium was so widely taken by both adults and children that it was the Victorian version of aspirin (which was not introduced until the 1890s). The dangers of opium were not initially realized, despite the fact that it was known to cause addiction. The more genteel folks bathed every day, while others a little lower on the social scale, having fewer amenities, usually had to be content with a bath every week, often patronizing local bathhouses for the luxury of a hot water soak. Before bathrooms were installed, bathing was a labor of major scale; a tub had to be carried up to the bedroom and then filled with hot water brought from the kitchen, where it had been heated on the stove. In poor areas of town, the advent of plumbing often consisted of only one water tap and toilet to be shared by several families in a building, who lined up each morning or evening to use them. Problems with hygiene caused cholera and typhoid epidemics, which claimed many victims in the late 18th century. The industrial Revolution brought wealth to America, establishing a previously non-existent large population of upper income citizens. The only difference between the rich and the poor in the middle of the 19th century had been that the poor emptied their own chamberpots, and the wealthy assigned that task to their servants; by the late 1800s the rich were able to have a room in their houses which had hot and cold running water, and hydraulic devices to remove waste. A typical well-appointed Victorian bathroom boasted a cast-iron tub, often wood-encased with a shower enclosure, a water closet (toilet), a freestanding sink, and occasionally even a bidet. Wood wainscoting or ornate embossed tile dressed the lower portion of the walls, and hexagon-shaped tiles were a common floor covering. Luxury in the Victorian bathroom was a precursor to the elaborate bath areas now held in such high esteem by today's homeowners. Resource: Daily Life in a Victorian House, by Laura Wilson. Illustration for article may be found at: http://www.victoriancrapper.com/VictorianBath.HTML Caption: A well-appointed Victorian bath was a valued luxury. Other illustrations (the first two are Victorian bedrooms, and the third is a less elaborate Victorian bathroom): http://www.judgeslodging.org.uk/Pages/qt_clerks_room.html http://www.lapcohistsoc.org/vicbedroom.htm http:www/mistral.co.uk/hammerwood/bb.htm