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Chamber Pot
c1805
If you recognise this rare object as a chamber pot, and you know what they were used for, you will quickly see the joke that this is meant to be.
Before we had inside toilets, chamber pots were used to relieve oneself during the night! So who do you think is in the pot, and what does the writing say?
It is the French ruler Napoleon, who was successfully conquering Europe at the time. It was believed that he would soon invade Britain, which caused much alarm.
The Latin phrase means ‘Let him Perish.’ The pot certainly is an interesting way for the British people to demonstrate their patriotism!
This pot served to make Napoleon an object of derision; to laugh at him and see him as less of a threat. Do we still do this today and in what ways do we do it?
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