Velvet-Lined Bathtub

Back in 1936, interior decorators predicted a popular future for velvet-lined bathtubs.

I can only imagine they would have been a nightmare to clean.

Pottsville Republican and Herald - Dec 4, 1936

Emery County Progress - Nov 27, 1936

Update: Thanks to our knowledgeable readers, Floormaster Squeeze and KDP, for pointing out that Steve Martin had a line in one of his routines about buying a fur-lined sink. I found the clip on YouTube (audio only, unfortunately). The fur-lined sink reference occurs less than a minute in.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 13, 2019
Category: Bathrooms | Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods | 1930s

Comments

For years I always appreciated Steve Martin's line about buying a fur lined sink in his bit about buying stupid stuff (the joke is he does not consider the sink or the "gas powered turtle neck" as being the stupid stuff). It is a joke that has sat in my head for years and now I learn that it is rooted in a real albeit still stupid thing.

Posted by Floormaster Squeeze on 09/13/19 at 09:22 AM

You beat me to that one, Floormaster. I'd like to point out that this predates Martin by some forty years. Perhaps he saw this as a wee lad (not in the 1930's - he's not that old) and it stuck in his mind.

Posted by KDP on 09/13/19 at 11:00 AM

Floormaster Squeeze and KDP -- Ha! That's great. I didn't know about the Steve Martin line. Managed to find it on YouTube and posted it above. Thanks for pointing it out!

Posted by Alex on 09/13/19 at 01:42 PM

The top picture is what a photoshop job looked like in 1936, I'm guessing.

Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 09/13/19 at 09:56 PM

Funny how the stuff considered stupid became real products; the gas-powered sweater became an electronic shirt that can monitor your health, the polisher for electric dog becomes useful in the era of battery-operated and electronic dogs, the $300 pair of socks is made to be worn up to one month without washing (or maybe it's only organic fair trade baby alpaca wool) and the fur-lined sink happens to everybody who owns a cat or a boyfriend with a razor.

Posted by Yudith on 09/14/19 at 07:54 AM

I wouldn't mess with a cat with a razor.

Posted by ges on 09/14/19 at 08:30 PM

Is the “pretty Broadway dancer” included?

Posted by Brian on 09/16/19 at 09:14 PM

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