Table commode, mid-late 19th century

With the lid shut, this object looks like a piece of ordinary household furniture. In fact it is a discreetly disguised toilet called a commode. The lid reveals a seat, underneath which a chamber pot would have been placed and emptied after use.

It is unclear what the metal container in the lid is for. Most likely it was a container for toilet paper or perhaps a ‘sliding’ – an antiseptic powder box. The commode would have been owned by a wealthy family for use by an elderly or sick relative, or it may have been used in a hospital.