Bisset's 'Cat Orchestra' and other performing cats.

A modern-day cat act (Image courtesy of elisasjourneys.com)

Bisset’s ‘Cat Orchestra’ and Other Performing Cats.

I haven’t posted about cats for a while, so to put that right here is some historical trivia about performing cats.

In the mid 18^th century, Scotsman Samuel Bisset read about the success of an animal act, ‘The Thinking Horse’ and decided to have a go himself. His first foray into animal training involved a monkey who he taught to ride a pony, and dance with a dog. But Bisset astutely realised that novelty was the key to success and hit on the idea of training that least trainable of all animals – the cat!

 

A dulcimer (Image courtesy of dougberch.com)



Bisset’s ‘Amazing Cat Orchestra’ soon became the talk of London; performances of cats strumming dulcimers and singing in high pitched meouws, were held at his house, and was seemingly very popular with the public.

As the ‘Eccentric Magazine’ wrote:

‘In such a city as London, these feats could not fail of making some noise, his house was every day crowded.’

In 1758 the master showman, Pinchbeck, suggested Bisset expand and hire an exhibition room in the Haymarket. ‘The Cats’ Opera’ opened with such entertainments as…. cats strumming dulcimers and mewing, a monkey dancing with a dog and a hare that walked on his back legs whilst beating a drum. This show was also a success and earnt Mr Bisset over a thousand pounds – testament to the eccentricity of the English.

 

image courtesy of weedom.com

However not all cat acts did so well. In the following century a Danish conjurer, Pederson brought a feline act to London. The animal part of his show involved two docile cats that allowed pigeons to perch on their heads. However, the magic of the act was dispelled when Pederson naively admitted in a newspaper interview, that an important part of the act was a plentiful supply of pigeons, since his cats were no always as docile as they seemed!

Image courtesy of slurpy.org

Toilets and Timid Women.

Now as you might have gathered, I’m a fan of the Regency. However…and it’s a big but…I wouldn’t want to live there. The reason (or one of them…) the lack of flushing plumbing! I couldn’t be doing with chamber pots, closed stools and ceespits…give me u-bends and Armitage-Shanks every time.

I suspect I’m not alone in this, and neither, so it seems, am I alone in the confusion over what to call a toilet. Apparently there is a world wide reticence to say the word ‘toilet’ or ‘lavatory’ in public.

I love this story of an English lady in the 1930’s, who was accosted at a party by a drunken man, wanting to know where the toilet was. Her icy reply was;

‘On the left of the entrance hall you will find a door marked ‘Gentlemen’. Disregard the warning, go right in and you’ll find what you want.’

In England the reluctance to say the word toilet, led to a litany of euphemisms including;

WC (water closed), bog, jakes, loo, powder room, heads and convenience.

In the early 20^th century the more polite amongst us might have asked about

“the geography of the house”

Or

“To use the cloak room”

And this shyness is nothing new. There is a biblical reference to “the place where one cover’s one’s feet” and in 1653 Richard Codrington wrote in ‘The Mirror of History’ of “the stool of easement”. The Danes, almost poetically ask for “The place where the King goes alone,” and in a similar vien the French for “Where the king goes on foot.”

A Stone Toilet.

In Wales it was the ‘ty back’ or ‘little house’, in reference to an outside privy. Indeed, one American entrepreneur, Lem Putt, who became known as ‘the champion privy builder of Sangamon County’ had theis sage advice about where to site an outside toilet.

“Put her in a straight line with the house, past the wood pile. I’ll tell you why. Take a timid woman; if she sees any men folk around, she’s too bashful to go direct out so she’ll go to the woodpile, pick up wood and go back to the house. On a good day you’ll have the wood box filled by noon.”

Yep, indoor six inch diameter, flushing plumbing every time please!