Cleaning Collection

A Complete Wash-out, by William Heath Robinson
The trials of spring-cleaning as endured on the ark. Please note: Credit must appear as Courtesy of the Estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/ILN/Mary Evans

DOLLY TUB
A laundry worker using a dolly stock and tub to clean clothes, prior to the invention of the washing machine

Brown Bear With cubs
LA-363 European BROWN BEAR - with cubs by water Ursus arctos Jean Michel Labat Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Quaker / Monk Parakeet - Preening South America
CLA-440 Monk Parakeet / Quaker Parrot - preening Myiopsitta monachus Mary Clay Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Jesus Washing the Feet of his Disciples, 1898 (oil and grisaille on paper)
3086711 Jesus Washing the Feet of his Disciples, 1898 (oil and grisaille on paper) by Edelfelt, Albert Gustaf Aristides (1854-1905); 58x47 cm; National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden; Finnish

Wringer, wet clothes dryer
Antique illustration of a wringer, wet clothes dryer

Picture No. 10900188
European Beaver (Castor fiber) Date:

AMERICAN GOTHIC, 1942. Ella Watson, a US Government Chairwoman. Photograph by Gordon Parks, 1942

Mute Swan - adult bird preening - Cleveland - UK
ROY-650 Mute Swan - adult bird preening Cleveland - UK Cygnus olor Roy Glen Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Sun Conures - preening South America
CLA-690 Sun CONURES - two preening South America Aratinga solstitialis Mary Clay Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Sea Otter - grooming. (Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma, WA) B2A4593
TOM-1425 Sea Otter - grooming. Enhydra lutris (Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma, WA) Tom & Pat Leeson Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Horses - 2 x Norwegian Fjord Pony, grooming each other
USH-471 HORSE - Norwegian Fjord pony, two grooming Equus caballus sp. Duncan Usher Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Cleaning out roadside drainage ditches which had become overgrown using JCB digger, England, February

Multicoloured beach huts on the long sweeping beach of Llanbedrog, Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd, North Wales, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Municipal laundry, Mahalaxmi dhobi ghat, Mumbai (Bombay), India, Asia

Upright Hoover
A mustard yellow Hoover upright vacuum cleaner

Advert, Pullars Dye Works, Perth, Scotland. 1905

Poster advertising Acel chamois leather for cleaning cars, showing a chauffeur in green uniform holding a miniature red car. early 20th century

Contact lenses inside a storage pot of saline solution

Lion - 5-6 week old cub with mother in den - Masai Mara Reserve - Kenya
SE-399 Lion - 5-6 week old cub with mother in den Maasai Mara Reserve - Kenya Panthera leo Suzi Eszterhas Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Rose-breasted Cockatoo / Galah - preening itself. Dortmund, Germany
USH-2600 Rose-breasted Cockatoo / Galah - preening itself. Dortmund, Germany Eolopus roseicapilla Duncan Usher Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Leopard and cub, Singita Game Reserve, Sabi Sands, South Africa

Jersey calves On a Waikato dairy farm, New Zealand
DH-3145 Jersey calves On a Waikato dairy farm, New Zealand Don Hadden Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Travelling Charlady
A travelling charlady, up a ladder, cleaning a front door, her motorcycle with its Stop Me For Cleaning, No Job Too Small sign, parked behind her!

Ariel low temperature washing powder gel - Close up of plastic bottle UK
MAB-1220 Ariel low temperature washing powder gel - Close up of plastic bottle UK Mark Boulton contact details: prints@ardea.com tel: +44 (0) 20 8318 1401

Advert / Calverts Carboli
CALVERTs CARBOLIC SOAP for floors

Double-crested Cormorant - West Coast nonbreeeding adult with wings spread open - Range: coasts, inland lakes
FG-ED-034 Double-crested Cormorant - West Coast nonbreeeding adult with wings spread open Range: coasts, inland lakes, rivers of North America Phalacrocorax auritus Francois Gohier Please note that

Washing baby
MODEL RELEASED. Washing baby. 9-month-old baby girl covered in soap suds while having a bath

Dog - Yorkshire Terrier
LA-1341 Dog - Yorkshire Terrier Jean Michel Labat Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Vacuuming a Wireless
Frequent cleaning of a wireless set (radio) can easily be done with use of the spare parts of a Hoover vacuum cleaner

Advertisement for the Western Electric vacuum cleaner with a women patiently cleaning the carpet around her snoozing husband. Lets hope that cigarette falls into his lap and wakes him up. Date: c.1924

Advertisement for Babbitts Best Soap, c. 1880 (colour litho)
HGL396881 Advertisement for Babbitts Best Soap, c.1880 (colour litho) by American School, (19th century); Hagley Museum & Library, Wilmington, Delaware, USA; eHagley Museum and Library; American

Unusual Picture of Czech model Dana Mala having her hot pants polished by a bootblack named Charlie in Piccadilly Circus. April 1971

Advert for Pears Soap - A Chemist Recommends... 1912
Advertisement for Pears Soap - A Chemist Recommends the product for its pure, genuine, good value and effective properties! Date: 1912

Advert for Follows & Bates winding machines 1900s
Various machines from the late 19th Century early 20th century, advertised in The Ironmonger Diary and Text Book, for Follows & Bates in Manchester. Circa 1900

Early Washing Machine
circa 1860: An early labour-saving machine for clothes washing, comprising a water barrel, water boiler, agitator and mangle. (Photo by Chaloner Woods/Getty Images)

An Alvarezsaurid bird cleans the mouth of a Giganotosaurus carolinii dinosaur

Red necked pademelon (Thylogale thetis) with joey peering from pouch, in scrubland at edges of rainforest, small macropod found in eastern Australia, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia

Housing slums in the Dalmarnock district of Glasgow the deralict tenament housing with its windows broken a load of washing is hung out to dry October 1963

Victorian London boys begging and sweeping street, 1870
Vintage engraving of Victorian London boys begging and sweeping street. Mothers Last Words, Mrs Sewell, c.1870

CHIMNEY SWEEP, 1890. American advertisement for Pears Soap, 1890

Japanese Macaque Monkeys / Snow Monkeys Relaxing and grooming each other amidst the steam of a hot spring Japan
WAT-8296 Japanese Macaque / Snow Monkeys Relaxing and grooming each other in hot spring. Japan Macaca fuscata M. Watson Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

1960S Lady & Vacuum
A British housewife poses with Hoover and rag in the centre of her sitting room

Advert / Reckitts Blue
Reckitts Blue - for a sparkling white wash

Advert for Daisy vacuum cleaner 1912
Daisy vacuum cleaner, manual vacuum cleaner using suction to remove dirt. 1912

Queen Mary Ocean Liner, at Southampton
Reaching Southampton the Queen Mary docked in an enormous King George V graving drydock, ready for its maiden voyage to New York in May 1936

Railway Cleaner
26th October 1907: A man sweeping a Great Central Railway carriage, at Marylebone. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

WW2 - Laundry - It ll soon be hanging on the Siegfried Line
WW2 humour - " Two British soldiers doing their laundry comment that " It ll soon be hanging on the Siegfried Line!". Date: circa 1944

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"A Complete Wash-out: Exploring the Art of Cleaning" In this captivating collection, William Heath Robinson takes us on a whimsical journey through the world of cleaning. From the iconic DOLLY TUB to the meticulous preening of a Quaker/Monk Parakeet in South America, these hints remind us of the beauty and importance of cleanliness. Step into Pullars Dye Works in Perth, Scotland with their enticing advert that promises vibrant colors and spotless garments. Meanwhile, in England's countryside, witness the transformation as roadside drainage ditches are cleared using a powerful JCB digger - nature reclaiming its purity. Marvel at the tender moment captured by Jesus Washing the Feet of his Disciples; an act symbolizing humility and servitude. The wringer and wet clothes dryer stand as timeless reminders of simpler times when hard work was required for pristine laundry. Ella Watson's stern gaze in Gordon Parks' photograph AMERICAN GOTHIC tells a tale of determination amidst adversity - her role as US Government Chairwoman demanding impeccable standards. Witnessing an adult Mute Swan preening itself gracefully along Cleveland's shores or Sun Conures indulging in self-care rituals brings forth a sense of tranquility from South America. And let us not forget our furry friends. Observe a Sea Otter meticulously grooming itself at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA - reminding us that even amidst chaos, there is solace to be found through personal care. Join us on this visual expedition where cleaning becomes an art form. Discover how these diverse moments encapsulate both simplicity and complexity while celebrating cleanliness as an essential aspect of life's harmony.