This spittoon, from the turn of the 20th century, once rested on the floor at the rear of the House Chamber. A standard example, it consists of three parts: a brass lid that funneled tobacco juice to the hole in the center, a bowl inside to catch the noxious liquid, and a heavy brass base. Many Members of Congress chewed tobacco in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and despite the handy spittoons distributed around the building, the mess was appalling. A House report from 1894 begged for better behavior from Congress, which was “presenting a most disgusting spectacle that would not be tolerated in a barroom of a mining camp.”
