Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellzAll's subject for June is the Bowl and Pitcher
As late as the 1930s, many Americans still lived in homes that did not have indoor plumbing. As a result, these people faced many challenges in their everyday lives, including bathing, washing clothes, and cooking. For a long time, one of the solutions was to put a bowl and pitcher in the bedrooms. Family members would use the bowl and pitcher as a way to wash their hands and faces, as well as to sponge off more of their bodies either in the morning when they got up or at night before they went to bed.
The bowl and pitcher sat on top of a dresser or other piece of furniture, usually in the bedroom. Each day, the family brought in buckets of water to complete many household duties. Family members put some of that water into the pitchers, in order to be readily available for washing. When someone wanted to wash up, she poured enough water into the bowl that she could create a lather with a small piece of soap. Having washed up and rinsed off the soap residue, she would throw out the dirty water left in the bowl. The bowl and pitcher was a practical, common item that saw use every day.
Bowls and pitchers were always made of some type of porcelain, ceramic, or pottery. Beyond that common ground, there were many differences in design. A family who did not have very much money usually had a very simple, functional bowl and pitcher. A wealthier family most likely had several bowl and pitcher sets, and those would be more decorative as well as useful.
Throughout the twentieth century, more and more American homes accessed basic utilities such as indoor plumbing. The result was that bowls and pitchers became obsolete. Americans no longer needed a bowl and pitcher, as they were able to wash in a modern bathroom, using a bathtub, shower, and sink, instead. Today, Americans no longer use bowls and pitchers every day, but they have become popular collectibles. People use a bowl and pitcher to create a sense of Victorian style in their homes.
