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Did the aristocracy really go to the toilet together?
Hello! Thank you for your question about whether the aristocracy used the bathroom together. The short answer is that while using the bathroom "together" was not necessarily an activity the aristocracy engaged in, privacy while using the toilet was not as steadfast or important as it is today. You will see a deep dive of my findings below.
RESPONSE
It is clear from my research that shared toilets were not specific to one group or culture. Instead, civilizations throughout the world tended to use shared spaces to relieve themselves. In one way, this was simply because private bathroom quarters had not yet been invented. In another way though, shared spaces for living, bathing, eating, and everything else landed itself towards building relationships. In Ancient Rome, for example, public toilets were placed side-by-side with no partition between them. That said, members of the aristocracy or royalty were typically granted a semblance of privacy that the lower-class was not.
While royalty was provided with a private room in which to use the toilet, the privacy was not absolute. Because toilet paper had not yet been invented, royalty often employed someone whose sole job was to wipe their butt for them after using the toilet. The position held the title of "Groom of the Stool" and was highly sought after as it could often lead to higher rank within the kingdom. Typically, the position was held by sons of noblemen or members of the gentry, and continued to be of use in the kingdom up until the early 1900s.
Despite the illusion of privacy afforded to royalty though, it appears that the concept was not a terribly important one. In fact, despite there being dedicated bathrooms, people would often use public spaces such as closets, hallways, and staircases if the toilet was not available. Further, there was no social norm against men and women seeing one another in the bathroom, and people often carried on conversations while relieving themselves.
In fact, female members of royalty often entertained visitors while completing their morning routine, including using the toilet. However, this practice was not specific or limited to use of the toilet; instead, royal women typically conducted extensive morning routines that could last several hours and, as a result, the practice of meeting with friends or advisors while doing so was typical.
In Versailles specifically, using the toilet publicly seemed to more incidental than intentional. While small "rooms" with a curtain (as an attempt to block in the smell) did exist for the purpose of using the toilet, if those rooms were in use, people would often simply relieve themselves in the hallway, a closet, or even the garden. As a result, it was likely not rare for one to come across someone using the toilet publicly. However, the act of going "together" was not in practice. Alternatively, kings and members of the aristocracy were afforded a personal chamber pot which fit into a chair and could be removed in order to be emptied. While this was found in a private quarter, members of the aristocracy using it often felt comfortable allowing their servants and attendants to remain in their presence while using it.
SUMMARY
To summarize, privacy when using the toilet does not seem to have been as important a subject in the past. While royalty was afforded the option of privacy - with curtains and private chamber pots, for example - they often allowed servants, attendants, and even friends to remain present while they used the toilet. Further, if a toilet was not available, many people would simply relieve themselves in a corridor or empty closet.
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