"Sitting Pretty: the History of the Toilet" special exhibition

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On display at Hamilton’s EcoHouse, March 16- May 11, 2009

Hamilton, Ontario:  No one can deny that the toilet is an exceedingly important feature of our lives. Yet how many people can trace its history? And what modern innovations have brought this age-old technology into the 21st century?

Green Venture links the past and the future of home sanitation at EcoHouse with the travelling exhibition “Sitting Pretty:  The History of the Toilet”, running from March 16, 2009 until May 11, 2009. The main exhibit explores this theme through interactive components that show the development of the toilet from the very first chamber pot, to the outhouse to the invention of the toilet itself. Green Venture’s own EcoHouse carries on the story, with working demonstrations of new water-saving toilets and techniques. 

The Sitting Pretty exhibit is divided into six sections, which include:

• an interactive toilet seat introduction with questions and answers;
• the evolution of toilet paper with a collection of toilet paper holders;
• a section that explores chamber pot designs, commodes and  close stools;
• a panel system discussing the history of public washrooms;
• an example of a modern toilet showing its working parts and the evolution of the toilet as we know it today. 

Green Venture’s EcoHouse, located in the historic east Hamilton Glen Manor, supplements this fascinating travelling exhibit with an array of informative items of its own, including:

• a visual simulation of the value of low flow showers and toilets
• working low-flow dual flush and pressure-assist toilets
• a working composter toilet
• an engaging diorama of water use and reuse in our cities
• many more sustainable (“green”) living demonstrations in the fields of clean air, water saving, energy saving, renewable energy, and pesticide-free gardening
• East Hamilton heritage, inside and outside the 1850s stone building

The “Sitting Pretty” exhibition is part of the Travelling Exhibition Partnership Project collaborative, created by Guelph Museums.

Green Venture would like to thank Plumbway for their generous community support, which enabled EcoHouse to host this exhibition in 2009.