Today arrived a present I bought myself, a book of the paintings commissined by Stanislaw August by Bellotto which gives a wonderful picture of Warszawa in 1776, just the right time for Wojciech, Seweryn and co.
But I find myself puzzled by some of the pictures.
A number of the street scenes include rude shelters. Now I would guess that the sloping roofs with uprights would be for people to leave their horses, but there's one which looks to me like a privy. possibly a shelter for a watchman? but it looks just like the sort of outside shithouse I can just remember some cottages still having in country areas in my childhood. I haven't scanned the book yet, but it's on the left just above the watermark here. the shelters are right in the front.
There are a number of rude huts outside the Church of the Carmelites too which do not look like shelters for horses.
And then the most puzzling of all. The Mniszech Palace - which has an odd brick structure by the road in the foreground with a corbelled roof and circular opening.
any ideas?
I think the first one looks unmistakably like a public convenience. The second I can't really see because of the label but I was wondering about cabmen and drivers needing somewhere to go or maybe some kind of roadside booth for selling something like hot snack food. Certainly the people in the scene don't seem to be paying it any attention whatsoever so it's evidently something quite usual. Mary D
ReplyDeleteit made me think of Grandpa Potts in the film version of Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang as well as distant memories of the insanitary cottages of ancient great aunts. so, maybe Warszawa had public conveniences; neat! and there is someone rather diffidently at the door.
Deletethat is a very good suggestion. Yes, they are completely unconscious of them, so it's plainly not worth noticing rather like bus shelters and advertising hoardings today.
the brick one is weird, the whole structure is man-height, so not likely to be any kind of watch-hut.
I wondered about some sort of structures for winter/snow/icy conditions which are unused in warmer weather perhaps holding tools or grit, sand, ashes etc for crossings?
ReplyDeletethat sould make sense. I did wonder if the brick stucture was used for something of the kind, I don't know the topography but if there are steep slopes, sand for purchase under the wheels might also be possible?
DeleteI also wondered about inspection holes for drains, if there were any.