Antique shopping can be full of surprises, especially when an elegant find turns out to have a very unexpected history.
Jenna Jones (@_jennasayquoi) has sparked intrigue and horror among antique fans on TikTok with a recent video, which has already racked up 772,700 views.
Don’t mistake a gravy boat for this antique tool
In the video, Jones shares a fascinating historical tidbit: Some 18th or 19th-century antiques mistaken for gravy boats might actually be something else entirely—a bourdaloue or a portable ladies’ chamber pot.
“I’m not trying to scare anybody,” Jones begins, “but you might want to make sure your granny’s gravy boat is not an 18th or 19th-century p*ss pot. Rather, bourdaloue.”
She explains that these portable pots, often confused with gravy boats, were “little pee catchers for the ladies who could pee in fashion under their dress.”
Also known as “coach pots,” they were designed for convenience and portability. “These were meant to be used standing up or squatting,” Jones adds.
To help viewers spot the difference, she compares the two.
“Bourdaloue, gravy boat,” she says, showing images of each item and asking the audience if they could tell the difference.
She notes the unique design of the bourdaloue, shaped somewhat like a Dutch shoe, “so it could gently cup your lady bits,” unlike a gravy boat, which, as Jones points out, “just would not fit down there as well.”
How can you tell the difference between the two?
Telling the difference between a bourdaloue and a gravy boat isn’t as tricky as it sounds once you know what to look for.
A bourdaloue is usually dented or curved in a way that makes it ergonomic—designed to “fit” its purpose—and it doesn’t have the signature pouring tip found on a gravy boat, as noted by the blog Nancy’s Daily Dish. Gravy boats, on the other hand, are sleeker, more refined, and built for pouring.
Additionally, bourdaloues often have a slightly more rounded shape, resembling a small shoe, while gravy boats are typically more elongated.
@_jennasayquoi Stitch this if you have one!! #history #historytok #historytime #victorianera #victorian #historytiktok #regency #regencyera #bridgerton ♬ original sound – Jenna Jones
Viewers react
In the comments section, viewers shared their own stories and experiences with bourdaloues.
“I live in fear of someone thinking a chamber pot is a soup tureen each time I see one in an antique shop,” one viewer wrote.
“Not me staring at a bourdalou in my kitchen at 4 am,” shared a second.
“So. Today I learned my grandmothers ‘gravy boat’ we used every Thanksgiving was IN FACT not a gravy boat,” said a third.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jones via TikTok and Instagram direct message.
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