Ewer c.1876-1883
This ewer would have been used by the patrons of Hall's Baths, a hammam or Turkish Bath, on Cashel St (pictured below). As advertised in the Press, both Ladies and Gentlemen could enjoy "the only Real Turkish Baths in Christchurch" for 1s. The baths run by Mr Hall were praised in the Press as having "provided every comfort, nay luxury, to his patrons."
Turkish baths in 19th century Britain and its colonies were an example of Victorian Orientalism. They were first introduced to Victorian society by David Urquhart, a politician and social reformer who had experienced hammams during his travels to the Ottoman Empire. His introduction of hammams to English society is an exemplar of the Victorian idea that an unhygienic body was an immoral body (Potvin 2005, 320). The communal nature of Turkish Baths helped to make cleanliness accessible in Victorian society, as an absence of plumbing could make domestic hygiene inaccessible (Kandela 2000, 74).
In New Zealand, Turkish baths were popular enough that they were present in most main cities — Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington, and Christchurch, as well as Nelson, Kaiapoi and Blenheim.
This ewer's manufacture by English potter Thomas G. Booth predates the opening of the baths in the mid 1880s, and it was probably chosen for its "Cyprus" pattern design as to fit into the orientalism of a Victorian Turkish bath such as Hall's Baths, adding to the novelty of the experience.
Adding to the novelty of the experience, was the serving of coffee mixed with chicory root. Coffee was much more expensive than tea and therefore not often consumed in
New Zealand in the 19th century. Instead, it was mixed with chicory root and sold as a syrup- making it more affordable, the equivalent of modern day instant coffee. This would be served at the end of the experience, adding an element of leisure to the patrons' visit. See the picture to the right of the coffee bottle that was found at the Cashel Street dig. However, the health benefits were what was most advertised about Turkish Baths. For example, Hall's Turkish baths in Christchurch were recommended for "anyone suffering from a liver complaint". One Hall’s Turkish Baths ad claimed that “Turkish Baths cure rheumatism sciatica” and “will remove colds from chest of head” – an impressive repertoire.
The trend for Orientalism was not universally approved, with some, like Henry W. Kiallmark, deprecating the use of Turkish baths, which he believed "must never interfere with, or take the place of, the Englishman's daily 'tub'; and, with this proviso, the alarm expressed by some that it will lead to effeminacy and degeneracy
of race, as it is said to have done with the ancient Romans and the modern Turks, may be looked upon as fallacious". (Lancet, Jan 19, 1861, 70.) In New Zealand, Arama Karaka Haututu of the Te Uri o Hau hapū of the Ngāti Whātua tribe, gave a mixed review of the Auckland Turkish baths, though he ultimately praised its health benefits, as reported by the Evening Post in 1879.
Regardless of the controversy regarding Turkish Baths, the Hall family opened ‘Hall's Turkish Baths’ in several cities – including Hall's Turkish Baths on Manners street, an ad for which is pictured above as taken from Charles Baeyertz's ‘Guide to New Zealand, the most wonderful Scenic Country in the World, the home of the Maori, the Angler’s and Deerstalker’s Paradise’ (digitised by NZETC). This was run by John William and Mary Hall, whose son Robert opened the Cashel Street baths in Christchurch.
Sources:
Kandela, Peter. "The rise and fall of the Turkish bath in Victorian England." International Journal of Dermatology, 39 (2000): 70-74 https://doi-org.ezproxy.canterbury.ac.nz/10.1046/j.1365-4362.2000.00867.x
Kandela, Peter. "Sketches from the Lancet: Turkish Baths." The Lancet 353, no. 9152 (Feb 13, 1999): 601.
Potvin, John. "Vapour and Steam: The Victorian Turkish Bath, Homosocial Health, and Male Bodies on Display." Journal of Design History 18, no. 4 (2005): 319-33. Accessed August 13, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3527239.
Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1994, 18 April 1885, Page 2 (Supplement). https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP18851024.2.2.3
Image credit:
Photograph printed in 1902, showing the street frontage of Hall’s Oriental Turkish Baths in Cashel Street. Davie, 1902: 304.