Latrinalia

Restroom graffiti, People's Cafe, San Francisco
Graffiti at Meilahti Yläaste Helsinki Finland. 2006

Latrinalia is a type of deliberately inscribed or etched marking made on latrines; that is, bathrooms or lavatory walls.[1][2][3] It can take the form of art, drawings, or words, including poetry and personal reflections. Other types of latrinalia include political commentary and notes on love as well as derogatory (sharing low opinions) 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.[4][5]

  1. ^ Green, Penelope (3 January 2008). "Anarchy Rules: The Dishes Stay Dirty". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. ^ Salyers, Christopher D. (2006). CBGB: Decades of Graffiti. ISBN 0977282759.
  3. ^ "Rock's Scariest Bathroom Immortalized in 'CBGB: The Movie'". Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
  4. ^ [permanent dead link] Golden Gate [X]Press Online | R.I.P. All Your Base Are Belong To Us
  5. ^ "Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online :: Brought to you by Grand View Media". Cmmonline.com. 2007-02-01. Archived from the original on 2006-05-22. Retrieved 2012-01-07.