mid- century. But while washstands became common, bathtubs were still a nov- elty; in 1860, Boston had only 3,910 of them for a population of 177,840. Full-body bathing provided an adventure to those who tested it out. As New York socialite George Templeton Strong commented after building himself a bathroom in 1843, "I've led rather an amphibious life for the last week-paddling in the bathing tub every night and constantly making new discoveries in the art and mystery of ablutions."
the...