Victorian Commode

This may look like a set of steps, but it’s actually a Victorian commode. We recently stayed at the Twelve Oaks Bed and Breakfast in Covington, Georgia. The home was built in 1836 and this piece is probably pre-Civil War. Mary the innkeeper showed us this unusual item. She explained when it’s closed, it acts as steps to get up on a bed. If the owner felt the need to go to the restroom in the middle of the night, they could just open it up and use it as a toilet. Mary said she hadn’t seen another Victorian commode like this and neither had we. It was a very clever multifunctional design. We appreciated Mary showing it to us.