Is it a tub? Is it a shower base? YES. I went to an estate sale last Thursday. A lovely, rambling mid century colonial-ranch… all picket-fence Americana-like… quite sweet. The two bathrooms upstairs were pastel delights — but the real prize was a small bathtub / shower receptor. I have seen these small tubs in old marketing materials, for example, in this 1949 Crane bathroom fixture catalog. In my experience, they are harder to spot in the wild.
Alice’s little bathtub — which I originally called a “Cinderella bathtub” — she called it her “little lady’s tub — looks to fit in the category of receptor tub as well. Hey, read on — Alice’s looks like a Neuvogue to me!
Why such a small bathtub? This seems to me to be a terrific idea if you don’t have much space… if adults prefer to shower… but there still needs to be a bathtub for a child.
The Crane brochure explains:
Requiring minimum space for installation, the Lahoma bath provides facilities for feet, sponge or shower bathing.
The Lahoma tub in the brochure measured 42″ wide by 31″ to the wall and was 12″ deep. It even had a little seat. A “mini Cinderella” bathtub!
Above: A second bathtub in the 1949 Crane catalog was also billed as a receptor tub. The Neuvogue‘s proportions — 48″ across, 41″ to the wall — were more “Cinderella bathtub”-like. It is billed as having enough space for real bathing (for an adult, presumably).
At the time I originally published this story in 2013, the Kohler Mayflower was still for sale — it had the receptor look, its measurements were 48″ x 44″. It is now discontinued:
As I recall, Eljer (I *think*) still offered a receptor bathtub until the early(ish) 2000s. But then it disappeared.
This story gets filed under Bathrooms/Tubs, Bathrooms/Shower Bases and Woddities, all three!
UPDATE: Read this story — Understanding potential lead hazards in old porcelain enamel bathtubs and sinks and ceramic tile of any age — which raises awareness regarding the potential for lead dust exposure from old tubs and sinks and ceramic tile of any age. Get with your own properly licensed professional to assess your own situation regarding this and other potential hazards in old homes and materials. Be Safe / Renovate Safe.