Laundry Collection

Panoramic view of the village of Riomaggiore, one of the Cinque Terre, near La Spezia Riomaggiore. Date of Photograph:1900 ca

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

Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, Middlesex
Aerial view of Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, Middlesex. The building was originally the Chase Farm Schools, opened in 1886 by the Edmonton Union to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Advertising card for Thoms Castile Soap of Manchester
Advertising card by Louis Wain for the Gold Medal-winning Thoms Castile Soap - the Best in the World - manufactured by David Thom & Co. Ltd. of Pendleton, Manchester

WW2 Memorabilia - Damaged Cafe informing suppliers
WW2 Home Front Memorabilia - Damaged Cafe Colette of Swallow Street, London sending information on a printed card to inform suppliers that (likely due to Bomb damage)

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

Narrow winding street in Barrio Gotico, Barcelona
Narrow winding street in Barrio Gotico (Gothic Quarter) in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Bodiam Castle, Sussex (pencil & w / c with gum arabic on paper)
XCF44579 Bodiam Castle, Sussex (pencil & w/c with gum arabic on paper) by Turner, Joseph Mallord William (1775-1851); 38x54.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info)

Children on the Beach, St. Ives, 1886 (oil on canvas)
658034 Children on the Beach, St. Ives, 1886 (oil on canvas) by Forbes, Stanhope Alexander (1857-1947); 30.5x40 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Children on the Beach, St. Ives)

Great Barr Colony, Staffordshire
Great Barr colony for mental defectives, opened circa 1918 by the Walsall and West Bromwich Joint Committee to house people with severe learning difficulties

Clothes hanging on a washing line between houses, Venice, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Veneto, Italy, Europe

Police and Fire Brigade attending a fire at Chelsea FC
Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade attending a fire at Chelsea FC. This photograph by Sub-Inspector C R C Turner shows Inspector A J Jones (Officer in Charge) and others at Walham Green

Mother Shipton Soap
An advertisement for Mother Shipton Soap showing a Wise Woman sitting with her basket of sparkling white linen - almost as white as her pet cat!

Laundry hanging from window in the Ribeira Quarter, Oporto, Portugal, Europe

Ragusa, Sicily, Italy, Europe

Public Drying Ground
The only public laundry Drying Ground in Scotland, on Glasgow Green. Behind is the John Templeton carpet factory, designed after the Doges Palace, Venice

Falstaff in Basket
Falstaff is hidden in a laundry basket

Washing machine, artwork F006 / 7157
Washing machine, computer artwork

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

Le Linge (The Laundry), 1875. Creator: Manet, Edouard (1832-1883)
Le Linge (The Laundry), 1875. Found in the Collection of The Barnes Foundation

Cuba, Havana. Apartment living in Havana

Women washing clothes, San Lucas Toliman, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, Central America

Washing lines
Gloria Salgado Gispert

The Small-Pox Epidemic, the St Pancras Hospital Encampment at Finchley (engraving)
1054449 The Small-Pox Epidemic, the St Pancras Hospital Encampment at Finchley (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Small-Pox Epidemic)

Scotlands top lady footballers will leave their Captain on the touchline when they run on to the field for their most important match of the season

Volunteers in Newcastle General Hospital laundry. Wynn Griffiths Assistant Sector kAdministrator and Len Key General Admin Assistant load freshly washed linen into a dryer in March 1979

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)

LONDON SLUM, c1890. A slum in London, south of the River Thames. Photograph, c1890

Panoramic view of Riomaggiore, one of the Cinque Terre, near La Spezia Riomaggiore. Date of Photograph:1900 ca

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

Swindon Medical Fund Society Laundry
Behind the scenes at Swindons GWR Medical Fund, a range of work was undertaken including the washing of bed linen and other items in the Laundry

Tenements In New York City
Photograph shows laundry drying on clotheslines in the backyards of New York City tenement slums, circa 1900. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images)

Women working in the Swindon Works laundry, c1930

DRYING DISMAL DESMOND
A little girl pegs out her freshly washed Dismal Desmond toy dalmatian dog to dry on the washing line in her back yard! Date: early 1930s

Washing Board
A photograph demonstrating the use of a scrubbing board in a tub during washday in the early 20th century

Ewbank Master Washer
A housewife uses her Ewbank Master Clothes Washer for washing, wringing and ironing

The Poor Washerwoman - Henri Clark - Music Sheet
The Poor Washerwoman - sung with typhoons of applause by Henri Clark - Music Sheet, written by Walter Hadtings and composed by W. T. Webb

Children hanging out washing on the line in class at Cookham Nursery School. October 1952

Aylesbury Inebriate Reformatory - Inmates at Work in Laundry
Staff supervise inmates ironing washing in laundry of Aylesbury Inebriate Reformatory. Date: 1908

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

Girls Wash Dolls Clothes
Two girls peg out their dolls laundry on a washing line in the garden. Date: circa 1890

Paris Slum Scene
A Paris slum : general aspect of the rue Delambre, with home industries, laundry and other occupations in progress

Advert, Surbiton and Kingston Laundry, Surrey
Advert, Surbiton and Kingston Laundry, Alfred Road, Spring Grove, Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey Date: 1897

Washing Day, 1888. Creator: Unknown
Washing Day, 1888. From, The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper Volume 38. July to December, 1888

The Laundress
ACC17427 The Laundress by Frere, Pierre Edouard (1819-86); Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, Lancashire, UK; eHaworth Art Gallery; French, out of copyright

Close no. 193, 17-27 High Street, Glasgow, from Old Closes and Streets
STC90439 Close no. 193, 17-27 High Street, Glasgow, from Old Closes and Streets, 1868 (b/w photo) by Annan, Thomas (1829-87); Private Collection; The Stapleton Collection; Scottish, out of copyright

Cleanliness - Health - The Truest Wealth - promotional postcard for the Health & Cleanliness Council (HCC) - 5 Tavistock Square, London. Date: circa late 1920s

Woman hanging up washing, late 19th-early 20th century? Creator: Unknown
Woman hanging up washing, late 19th-early 20th century?

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"From Dolly Tubs to Modern Machines: A Journey Through Laundry" Step into the past with an advertising card for Thoms Castile Soap of Manchester, a reminder of simpler times when laundry was done by hand in large wooden tubs known as Dolly Tubs. Imagine the narrow winding streets of Barrio Gotico, Barcelona, where clotheslines stretched across balconies adorned with colorful garments fluttering in the breeze. Transport yourself further back in time to Bodiam Castle in Sussex, where medieval inhabitants would have washed their linens using traditional methods. The delicate pencil and watercolor artwork on paper captures the essence of this historical practice. In a stark contrast, WW2 memorabilia showcases a damaged café informing suppliers about disrupted laundry services due to war efforts. It serves as a poignant reminder of how everyday tasks were affected during times of conflict. Fast forward to modernity at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, Middlesex, where state-of-the-art washing machines effortlessly clean and sanitize hospital linens. Efficiency meets innovation as technology takes over from manual labor. Traveling overseas to Ragusa, Sicily reveals picturesque scenes of locals hanging their laundry out to dry under the Mediterranean sun. The vibrant colors against ancient stone walls create an enchanting sight that captivates both residents and tourists alike. The invention of the wringer wet clothes dryer revolutionized household chores by simplifying drying processes. No longer did families need vast outdoor spaces or rely solely on natural elements; instead, they could conveniently dry their clothes indoors regardless of weather conditions. Artistic expressions also capture moments related to laundry - "What. . No Laundry" by David Wright humorously depicts a woman's surprise upon discovering her partner has forgotten his share of household duties. Meanwhile, "Children on the Beach" painted by St Ives artist in 1886 portrays carefree youngsters playing amidst piles of sand-covered towels and bathing suits awaiting cleaning after a day at sea.