Doll's Leg

c. The Mid-1800s

Before trash pickup, homeowners had to dispose of their household waste somewhere. That place was often in the same place they emptied their chamber pots containing their bodily waste, the privy.

Now, 140+ years later, every piece of trash I recover from those privies is a gateway into the past and helps me connect to the early residents of Baltimore City who threw it away. Each artifact sheds a bit of light on who occupied the house over a century ago and what their daily life looked like.

What do you think your trash will say about you in 200 years?