HathiTrust might be the best place to start. It has an 1896
compilation, *American
Plumbing Practice* with numerous illustrations (and a fabulous subtitle: A
selected reprint of articles describing notable plumbing installations in
the United States):
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$c19477

There's also *The Plumbers Trade Journal* from the 1890s.

Hope this helps.


Marianne E. Julienne
Education and Outreach Department
Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 692-3729
Check out the *Dictionary of Virginia Biography* online
<http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/>.




On Fri, Mar 18, 2022 at 9:01 AM Henry Wiencek <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> A friend of mine, a biographer, is earnestly trying to describe the exact
> appearance/equipage of a toilet room/bathroom/water closet of the 1890s in
> a boarding house on Capitol Hill. This is not a joke; she seriously needs
> to know. I suggested dialing up LOC Prints and Photographs "toilet,
> Washington 1890s"; or searching 1890s architecture journals; or emailing
> the Architect of the Capitol for suggestions for sources. Can anyone
> suggest a plumbing history source (a toilet expert?) with specific
> knowledge of Capitol Hill plumbing? I say again: this is not a joke. Years
> ago, on this list, the question was asked: what would George Washington
> have used as toilet paper in his outhouse and the answer came -- corn
> husks. So this list can answer anything.
>
> HW
>
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