Vienna working class housing in 1890... a single bedroom apartment, consisting of a room (maybe 20 sq. m, 25 at best, i.e. roughly 200 sq. ft.) and a kitchen. No bathroom (shared water closet out in the stairway for at least 3 apartments), no running water (one sink per floor in the stairway). And around 10(!) people living in such an apartment, sleeping in shifts.
Nowadays those apartments make for nice student and single accomodation, often upgraded with a bathroom. However, some elderly people still live in those things without a bathroom and running water!
Those houses have special cast iron sinks with integral backsplash called Bassena (from the French bassin). Bassena gossip was a fairly common word as the housewives would meet there getting water...

[Linked Image from fotoleonhard.com]

At least it's got something to do with water, so its not completely OT [Linked Image]