Latrinalia

Restroom graffiti, People's Cafe, San Francisco

Latrinalia is a type of deliberately inscribed marking made on latrines: that is, bathrooms or lavatory walls. It can take the form of art, drawings, or words, including poetry and personal reflections. Other types of latrinalia include political commentary as well as derogatory comments and pictures. When done without the property owner's consent, it constitutes vandalism. Some venues have attempted to curb such vandalism by installing in the lavatory large blackboards and providing free chalk; it is hoped that patrons will avail themselves of the blackboard and chalk rather than applying their latrinalia directly to the walls or toilet stalls.^[1][2]

Etymology

The late Alan Dundes, a folklorist at University of California, Berkeley, coined the term latrinalia in 1966 to refer to graffiti found in restrooms.^[3] Dundes preferred it over the term shithouse poetry, as not all latrinalia is in verse or poetic form.^[3]

The word is derived from the compounding of latrine (or toilet) and the suffix -alia, which signifies a worthless collection of something — in this case bathroom writings.

See also

• Toilet humour

Bibliography

• Joseph Gelfer, The Little Book of Toilet Graffiti
• Jim Morrison, Privy Thoughts: Some Toilet Graffiti Found On University Bathroom Doors

References

1. Golden Gate [X]Press Online | R.I.P. All Your Base Are Belong To Us
2. "Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online :: Brought to you by Grand View Media". Cmmonline.com. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
3. Dundes, Alan (1966). "Here I Sit — A Study of American Latrinalia". University of California, Berkeley: Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers.

External links

• From The Bathroom Wall - A blog about bathroom graffiti and other humorous topics
• Latrinalia (e Bathroom Graffiti) — Electronic Bathroom Graffiti uploads from around the world.
• Bathroom Graffiti — Bathroom Graffiti by author and photographer Mark Ferem
• Bathroom Graffiti Project — features and rates hundreds of photos of latrinalia from around the world
• Latrinalia — features galleries of bathroom graffiti
• Raina Williams, Content analysis: Latrinalia, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis
• Mark Ferem, Latrinalia: "It's all in The Head", 50mm Los Angeles
• Matt Schneider, Stall Wall, an ethnography on latrinalia
• Origins of Bathroom Graffiti Documentary
• The Writing on the Stall