Question:What is a Commode?Is it a Chest of Drawers or a Toilet?
"I thought a commode was a toilet,but then I saw this picture of a beautiful bombay chest,and the caption called it a commode.Is it a chest?"
Answer:
The word commode can refer to a either a chest of drawers,or a chest that enclosed toilets.While it originally started out as a chest of drawers or a cabinet for storing personal items,in early 18th century France,later on a commode was also used to house chamber pots.Hence the use of commode to denote toilets.
The word commode derives from the French word for"convenient"or"suitable".
Commodes were introduced in the 18th century in France and were both decorative and useful.A French commode is a low cabinet or chest of drawers,often with elaborate decoration and usually standing on cabriole legs or short feet.Earlier commodes had a bombéor convex shape with a flat back that went against the wall.Later the shape became more rectilinear,with straighter legs.
Commodes were meant to stand against the wall and had greater width than height.This piece of furniture provided convenient storage for articles while also providing a surface on top for placing additional items.
A commode often had a marble slab top and was displayed prominently.Sometimes they were paired with mirrors,and matching pairs of commodes were often used in a room.
Because of its usefulness,the commode became an indispensable piece of furniture,and before the mid-eighteenth century it made its way from royal and aristocratic abodes to more humble ones.It was well on its way to becoming the humble,yet useful piece of furniture that it is today.
Gradually,by the late 19th century,the commode became even more subdued in form and became a purely functional piece of furniture that we now refer to as a chest of drawers.
A commode's association with toilet came from night commodes,a 19th century Victorian term for a bedside cabinet with doors.These enclosed cabinets provided an area for storing chamber pots and had a basin and pitcher on top for personal cleansing.
These commodes were found in middle-class bedrooms before indoor plumbing became available.By the 20th century the word commode became associated with toilet,so that today that is the more common usage.
