This beautiful bath dating from the 1870s was fitted with a book rest and two holes to allow left- or right-handed bathers to turn the page when required. While the cabinet bath was a boon to anyone living in an area without a Turkish bath establishment, it was also suggested as a solution for 'sensitive people' for whom 'the idea of taking the bath in company with several others, is by no means pleasant.' 1
The bath was supplied with a two-sided hanging card with instructions on how it should be used.

The bath was economical to run, 'not costing more than a penny for each bath; no assistance is required in using it; the apparatus is quite portable, and being [unusually] fixed on castors is readily moved, and it is an ornament to a bed, bath, or dressing-room.'
See also: A more comprehensive illustrated account of portable Turkish baths
which can be found
elsewhere on the site.
Carol Anderson Curator, The Oxfordshire Museum, for permission to reproduce
their photograph
of the cabinet bath
Phil Platt , The Museums Resource Centre, for his help while viewing the cabinet
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The right of Malcolm Shifrin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Comments and queries are most welcome and can be sent to:
malcolm@victorianturkishbath.org