That sink was an upgrade to the old bedpan. All forms of liquid could be put down it.

Most older homes were fortunate to have one bathroom, to be shared by the family. There was no opportunity to hog it for primping, and not always convenient and unoccupied for morning and nightly routines like toothbrushing, or freshening up with a face wash or shaving for the fellows, getting a drink of water or taking medicines. Having a sink in the master bedroom comes in very handy and it didn't offend sensibilities then like it would now, especially if put in a dressing area. Many hotels and motels will have one, if you notice, in the area where one stacks their luggage and hangs their clothing and this is in addition to a full bath with another sink. Having a sink in a bedroom would also be handy if caring for invalids for sponge bathing and other care. In fact, when we remodeled a small room to accommodate my elderly mother, having only one bath we also installed a sink. It came in very handy. As for the 'bedpan' most homes if needed used chamber pots, particulary those with old folks, outhouses or little children whom you would not want to have to navigate by themselves up or down a flight of stairs. Quite often what is in a chamberpot cannot be flushed down a sink and most women, particularly back then would probably not even consider using it for urine disposal. I knew a lot of elderly gals who would scrub their sinks out daily and bleach or use lysol on them. Many loos smelled of chemicals back then.

Calilope,

You don't want to hear the stories I have when traveling with a crew of young University and pro athletes and hotel rooms and rented condos. The wet bars were regularly used for more than rinsing glasses in a $350.00 a night suite, that goes for the vanity in the bathroom, even a kitchen. I'm sure it still happens today, 21 years old is 21 years old then and now.

I remembering someone yelling take the dishes out of that sink before you think of going in it.

I once looked at a house of that era, but not Sears house, that had several (8 or 10) bedrooms off a central corridor. Each room had a sink in it, in an alcove near the entry door.

The primary rooms downstairs were large and opened on to each other, so double, even triple parlors, on each side of the central hall

The newel post on the stairs was an ornately carved penis, with lots of scroll work to semi-disguise it.

The house was believed to have started life as a brothel.

Too many bedrooms for me, though. And bad juju, I felt.

L.

ROFL laughing..........and that does not at all surprise me either. Our near-by city used to be called 'little Chicago' and indeed had a red-light district and it thrived until the second world war from what I heard. A sink in each room would indeed be handy. argh!

During the Victorian era you could have many servants and they would all share a single bathroom, it was very convenient to have a sink installed in their sleeping rooms. When I design floor plans of homes of the late 1800’s I like to put sinks in the bedrooms that don’t have their own bathroom as well. I used to live in an old house and there was a throne room that just had a toilet sitting on a riser up a step, and outside in the hall there was a single sink. It was very useful because you could wash up without keeping the toilet occupied. I think they are great and if you look into period bath fixtures you will find all kinds of different items for your bathroom, like a urinal that looks like a little sink to get a glass of water or foot washing basins,bidets and assorted sinks. If you want to see a great house that has all of its original Victorian bath items look up the Alexander King Estate, there’s a mattersport website that lets you tour the house virtually, it’s absolutely stunning, and the bathrooms are exquisite.