Earth Closets, or Human Litterboxes

[My Good Babushka]

In the 19th century men often kept an “earth closet” in their billiards room or parlor. These privies contained dirt or sand that could be scraped over, like a human litter box.

A refined earth closet was patented in 1860 by the Reverend Henry Moule. It was like a flush toilet but when the handle was pulled, a measure of dirt would be released from the storage tank to cover what was in the toilet.