European Court Clothing as a Mobile Toilet
European court clothing, to some extent, served the function of a 'mobile toilet', but not by allowing direct excretion within the skirt. Instead, it relied on a special tool called 'bourdaloue' and the assistance of servants to complete the toilet process.
During the Middle Ages and for a long time after the Renaissance, European architectural design had significant flaws. For instance, during its heyday, the Palace of Versailles could accommodate thousands of nobles and attendants but had almost no dedicated spaces for excretion. Nobles were accustomed to relieving themselves in corners of corridors, behind staircases, or even behind curtains in halls. Noblewomen, who wore extremely elaborate attire, faced even greater challenges. At that time, women did not wear underwear, and beneath the enormous skirts, which weighed dozens of pounds and were supported by whalebone hoops, there was a complete vacuum. One of the original intentions of this design was to facilitate excretion in environments without toilets.
However, noblewomen in medieval Europe did not relieve themselves directly within their skirts. They mainly relied on the special tool 'bourdaloue' and the help of servants. The 'bourdaloue' was an oval-shaped chamber pot, made of materials such as silver or porcelain, with some even adorned with patterns. The multi-layered dresses worn by noblewomen were structurally complex, consisting of multiple petticoats, whalebone hoops, and other components, making movement extremely difficult and posing great challenges for using the toilet. When a noblewoman needed to relieve herself, a maid would insert the chamber pot under the skirt, and the noblewoman would hold it in place by clamping her knees together while using the skirt for concealment. Throughout this process, the maid's assistance was required to ensure the chamber pot was properly placed and did not become exposed. The noblewoman also had to maintain a natural expression and could even continue conversing during banquets while using it.
This design originated from the reality of a lack of public toilets in medieval cities and insufficient sanitation facilities in noble residences. It mainly occurred in social settings such as banquets or long-distance travels and was not a common daily occurrence. It reflects the special connection between the living environment of European nobles and clothing design at that time and also shows us the unique attempts people made to solve life's difficulties in a historical context.
