I have heard it all now... currently on display at the Cocalico Valley Historical Society there is an exhibition of privy bags
http://www.cocalicovalleyhs.org/
(sorry, for some reason my computer won't do hyperlinks this week - must be on holidays as well.)
What are "privy bags"?
Apparently they were made by young girls, to practise their sewing skills, and used in the outhouse to store magazine pages which were used as toilet paper.
In my younger days I can remember some frugal neighbours having squares of newspaper hanging off a nail - I used to "hang on" until I got home whenever I visited their place.
Mary-anne,
ReplyDeleteI remember the newspaper on the nail in the dunny outside the garden gate ..... thankfully there was also some softer stuff there as well, not to mention an outside but flushing loo closer to the house!
Perhaps a bag like thoe above would have made the magazines and newspaper a moe attractive option, at least until the moment of contact!
Judy B