1860 - 1900 Hat Bathtub
1860 - 1900 Hat Bathtub
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- In the early 20th century Sears, Roebuck & Co. Inc. continued to advertise the hat–shaped bathtub for $4.20 in their catalog. In 1900, for five cents more, one could purchase a “Combination Bath Tub,” a cross between a sitz and a hat tub. Though an awkward–looking contraption, the advertisement claimed that there was “nothing better made in a tin tub.”*
- This hat tub likely had years of use. Though well worn, traces of the first green coat of paint can be seen beneath the second layer of beige on the tub’s exterior. The Sears 20th–century example notes that its 3-X tin bath was japanned and varnished on the outside.
- For more information on bathing and bathtubs in the 19th and early 20th centuries, please see the introduction to this online exhibition.
- *Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr., ed., Sears, Roebuck and Co. Consumers Guide, Fall 1900, (Northfield, IL: DBI Books, Inc., 1970), 920.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- Tub, Bath
- tub, bath
- date made
- 1860 - 1900
- mid 19th Century
- maker
- unknown
- place made
- World
- Physical Description
- tin (overall material)
- iron (overall material)
- paint (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 22.5 cm x 10.5 cm x 95.3 cm; 8 7/8 in x 4 1/8 in x 37 1/2 in
- ID Number
- DL.238049.0085
- catalog number
- 238049.0085
- accession number
- 238049
- Credit Line
- Gift of Kenneth E. Jewett
- subject
- Bathing
- Portable Bathtubs
- See more items in
- Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
- Bathtubs
- Family & Social Life
- Domestic Furnishings
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.
