What is a Victorian commode?
The association of the word commode with a toilet began with the night commode, a 19th-century Victorian term for a bedside cabinet with doors that was kept in the bedroom. These enclosed cabinets provided an area for storing chamber pots and had a basin and pitcher on top for personal cleansing.
Why do old people call a toilet a commode?
In the United States, a “commode” is now a colloquial synonym for a flush toilet. The word commode comes from the French word for “convenient” or “suitable”, which in turn comes from the Latin adjective commodus, with similar meanings.
Where is the word commode used?
The term commode was first used in England to describe chests and low cupboards with serpentine fronts. From the late 18th century, commode was also the term, along with night table, for a cupboard containing a chamber pot. See also chest of drawers.
What does a commode look like?
It looks like a chair with a toilet seat and has a bucket or container underneath. A commode can be placed beside the bed if a person cannot get to the bathroom. The commode may have wheels so that it can be rolled away when it is not needed.
What is the difference between a commode and a toilet?
A toilet is permanently attached to the plumbing. In the strictest sense, a bedpan or portable toilet seat with an attached dry receptacle would be a commode, while the water-flushed bowl and tank in the bathroom would be a toilet. A bedpan is an example of a commode.
Why do southern people say commode?
“Commode” While the commode may sound like the fancy captain’s quarters on a cruise ship, it’s really just another word for the toilet. You’re more likely to hear a Southerner say this phrase than restroom or potty. However, a Southern belle may still call the bathroom the powder room.
Is there a difference between a commode and a toilet?
What sizes do commodes come in?
Height and Width Bedside commode seat height from the floor ranges from 17 inches to 28 inches, seat widths range from 13 inches to 31 inches, seat depths range from 14 inches to 23 inches, and widths between armrests range from 17 ¾ inches to 31 ¼ inches.
How did people use toilets in the 18th century?
In the eighteenth century, indoor toilet needs were met in several ways. The two basic forms seem to have been the chamber pot, made from either ceramic or metal, and used by itself, or the close stool, a piece of furniture designed to hold a chamber pot or pan.
What is a wooden commode used for?
Your photo shows a wooden commode or close stool, or garderobe. If it’s original and not a reproduction, it’s probably from the 19th century. Wooden commodes were built to hold a chamberpot and to provide easier use by sitting on the elevated wooden seat.
What is the height of an oak commode?
This oak commode had a seat height of about 18-inches and the top was described as 16″x16″. Below: A beautiful hand-carved Asian chamber pot “chair” better referred to as a “close stool” or “closet stool” also from the 1800’s, as adapted from its illustration at chairish.com in June 2019.
What is the value of Antique Chamber pots?
M&M / Derby Porcelain made chamber pots and other ceramics, even planters; Antique chamber pots typically sell from about $25. to $100.