Bedpans

Above is a porcelain bedpan and female urinal which would have been used late in the 19th into the 20th century. Very old utensils, before the late nineteenth century, were made of metals such as pewter, brass and some urinals were made of glass. Porcelain, china, and even pottery were used in the late nineteenth century. At some time in the early 20th century, utensils (bedpans, urinals basins and others) were made of enamel and then stainless steel. The switch to plastics and other disposables took place in the 1960's.

Even empty these are quite heavy. The bedpan pictured above weights about 5 pounds and was a "slipper" type, later referred to as fracture, bedpan. It is approximately  17 by 11  inches with a height of   4 inches. The spout is to facilitate washing it out.

Above is a female urinal, enamel, with its original box and price tag of $3.65

Today these antique bedpans are considered collectible artifacts and can be found in antique stores. The prices vary with the style, quality and seemingly at the dealer's whim. The webmaster saw a bedpan like the one above priced for $100 and then found the one above for $3.25!! (She never really wanted one, but for three bucks... it sits in the living room filled with potpourri). The early metal types are very rare.