Laura Walikainen Rouleau, Private Spaces in Public Places: Comfort Stations, Fitting Rooms, Public Baths, and Locker Rooms in America, 1880–1930. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024. viii + 136pp. 50 figures. 59. 95/£45. 00 hbk. 59. 95 ebk.

Key Points

• The central aim is to analyze how comfort stations and similar facilities shaped public and private life in urban America from 1880 to 1930.
• Historical analysis of urban facilities in America
• Examination of architectural designs and social functions
• Analysis of public attitudes toward private spaces
• Identified trends in the evolution of comfort stations and fitting rooms
• Demonstrated their role in promoting hygiene and social interaction
• Revealed differences in public acceptance over the decades