The words of Eliza Doolittle in Shaw's famous play Pygmalion show us that cleanliness was not always an easy thing for the belle of a century ago. Spongebaths in shallow tubs were very normal, and even sit-in tubs were often filled manually with pots of water warmed on the stove or fireplace. This was especially common in Europe, where even a fairly well-to-do home might have been built long past and never refitted to include indoor plumbing.
In America, however, the spirit of invention was alive. While rural areas and older developments were still modeled on the well or pump or go-out-to-the-lake method of getting your water, many new homes were being built for the middle and upper classes. They usually included plumbing and bathtubs. And keeping in the spirit of the times, people sought to make bathing easier for the benefit of mankind. The merit of sanitation was just beginning to be understood, and how can man truly experience the benefits of healthy cleanness unless it's easy to perform and maintain? Strange devices evolved for use, such as "bath yokes" -- basically a shower-head in the form of a noose one set around the neck so the water would trickle down, thereby cleaning the body. Guides evolved to ensure people would understand the "correct" way to bathe, for it was still perceived as a medical treatment with the potential for abuse. Dr. Alvin Chase warned, "Many a good man or woman has unwittingly committed suicide with water." One period source assured bathing to be "almost a fine art, and its value is so great as to make that art well worth intelligent study."
Consequently, the remainder of this month will be devoted to such study: the topic of the Edwardian Bath.
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