Bathtub

Most modern bathtubs are made of thermoformed acrylic, porcelain-enameled steel or cast iron, or fiberglass-reinforced polyester.

Two main styles are common: Documented early plumbing systems for bathing go back as far as around 3300 BC with the discovery of copper water pipes beneath a palace in ancient Europe.

The Scottish-born inventor David Buick invented a process for bonding porcelain enamel to cast iron in the 1880s while working for the Alexander Manufacturing Company in Detroit.

Far from the ornate feet and luxury most associated with clawfoot tubs, an early Kohler example was advertised as a "horse trough/hog scalder, when furnished with four legs will serve as a bathtub."

The item's use as a hog scalder was considered a more important marketing point than its ability to function as a bathtub.

This enclosed style afforded easier maintenance and, with the emergence of colored sanitary ware, more design options for the homeowner.

The Crane Company introduced colored bathroom fixtures to the United States market in 1928, and slowly this influx of design options and easier cleaning and care led to the near demise of clawfoot-style tubs.

The process for enamelling cast iron bathtubs was invented by the Scottish-born American David Dunbar Buick.

[citation needed] The clawfoot tub was considered a luxury item in the late 19th century, originally made from cast iron and lined with porcelain.

These can be either a small, stand-alone bath that is filled with water from another source, or a device for supporting the baby that is placed in a standard bathtub.