Regency Women pee'd in Gravy Boats

Regency Women pee'd in Gravy Boats

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Anyone who has ever worn shapewear or an elaborate dress, knows that it isn’t always convenient, or even possible, to remove your garments in such a way that makes going for a wee~wee easy.

Regency Era women certainly knew this.

Given the layers of slips, dresses, and outerwear that would have comprised their daily attire, it should be of little surprise, women had to come up with other ways of having a tinkle.

The clever women of the era had ways of using the bathroom, while hardly having to adjust their clothing at all.

Starting in the 18th century, women used fanciful gravy-boat like dishes, called Bourdaloues, when nature called.

The bourdaloues were typically made of porcelain or metal, and genuinely do look like small gravy boats minus a spout.

They had a handle on one end and were curved inwards in the middle to rest comfortably against the user.

For wealthy women, a maid would be waiting nearby to empty the pot after use.

A painting by Francois Boucher shows a woman in full dress preparing to use a bourdaloue.

Reportedly, women would use them in public, merely standing in a dark hallway or behind a curtain to relieve themselves.

The advent of water closets in the 19th century put an end to the practice of using bourdaloues.

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Source~HistoryCollection

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders

Painting by Francois Boucher.