Laundry Pictures From The Past

I found these laundry pictures recently, and it got me thinking that today we don't have it so bad in the laundry department.

Sure, I have to make an effort to stick to my laundry schedule, and I sure do miss my washing machine when it breaks.

But I don't have to break my back slaving over a hot bucket like this woman.

Photo by The Library of Congress

I also don't have to do my laundry at the community laundry basin either. (This photo below is circa 1940s.)

Photo by The Library of Congress

Here is a picture showing laundry equipment circa 1903. This picture is especially interesting because it shows a man working the laundry machines while the women behind were on a laundry strike.

Courtesy of Chicago History Museum

Here is another picture of a woman doing laundry with a machine I cannot even fathom having to use daily. (I am sure it would not be so bad if I learned how, but it is as unfamiliar to me as if this lady saw my computer today.)

Courtesy of Chicago History Museum

This picture, below, was taken in 1910. In a way it is like time hasn't changed. People still hang out their laundry, of course. (Look at the cute little bowl cut on the baby!)

Courtesy of Chicago History Museum

I had a lot of fun looking at these pictures. I found them at the Library of Congress American Memory website, and Flickr Creative Commons in case you want to look for some more.

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