Washboard Collection

Travel views of Cuba and Guatemala, between 1899 and 1926. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Travel views of Cuba and Guatemala, between 1899 and 1926

Home of a dust bowl refugee in California, Imperial County, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home of a dust bowl refugee in California. Imperial County

Home of a dust bowl refugee in California, Imperial County, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home of a dust bowl refugee in California. Imperial County

Some of the facilities of the Kern County migrant camp, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Some of the facilities of the Kern County migrant camp, California

Aged woman from Oklahoma, Kern County migrant camp, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Aged woman from Oklahoma. Kern County migrant camp, California

Dirty clothes and flies, American River camp, near Sacramento, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Dirty clothes and flies. American River camp, near Sacramento, California

Grandmother of twenty-two children from farm in Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother of twenty-two children from farm in Oklahoma. Now living in Kern migrant camp, California

Texas woman in carrot pullers camp, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Texas woman in carrot pullers camp. Imperial Valley, California. This sunbonnet is typical of women who came from Texas

Texas woman in carrot pullers camp, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Texas woman in carrot pullers camp. Imperial Valley, California. This sunbonnet is typical of women who came from Texas

Texas woman in carrot pullers camp, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Texas woman in carrot pullers camp. Imperial Valley, California. This sunbonnet is typical of women who came from Texas

Texas woman in carrot pullers camp, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Texas woman in carrot pullers camp. Imperial Valley, California. This sunbonnet is typical of women who came from Texas

Child at washtub, c1905. Creator: Frank H. Nowell
Child at washtub, c1905

Upstairs Downstairs, maid doing laundry, lady singing
Upstairs Downstairs, maid doing the laundry with tub and washboard (L) and lady singing (R) Date: circa 1910

Cartoon, Liberal Prime Minister Asquith
Political cartoon, Liberal Prime Minister Asquith, I can't get all this washed in time - cat washerwoman attempting to cope with Parliamentary Bills in the form of laundry

One of a row of tents, home of a pea picker, near Calipatria, Imperial Valley, California, 1939
One of a row of tents, home of a pea picker. Near Calipatria, Imperial Valley, California. [Note upturned basket for carrying peas, and washboard]

One of the forty potato camps in open field, entering town, Malin, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939
One of the forty potato camps in open field, entering town. Malin, Klamath County, Oregon

Shows pickers tents, power unit and shower bath... FSA camp, Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon
Shows pickers tents, power unit and shower bath unit beyond. Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon. FSA (Farm Security Administration) camp

Young migrant girl makes use of facilities... Merrill FSA camp, Klamath County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Young migrant girl makes use of facilities provided for cleanliness. Merrill FSA (Farm Security Administration) camp, Klamath County, Oregon

Pea picker camp, Calipatria, Imperial Valley, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Pea picker camp. This family had been farm owners in Oklahoma, lost their farm and for the last three years " have been draggin our children around California

Wash Board, c. 1940. Creator: Mary Hansen
Wash Board, c. 1940

Scouring Board, 1939. Creator: Max Fernekes
Scouring Board, 1939

Barber cutting hair, Algeria
Vintage 19th century photograph - barber at work shaving the sides of a mans head, Algeria, north Africa

The Laundry Maid, c. 1920 (w / c on paper)
BOU202969 The Laundry Maid, c.1920 (w/c on paper) by Margetson, William Henry (1861-1940); 76.2x50.8 cm; Private Collection; Bourne Gallery, Reigate, Surrey; English, out of copyright

Woman washing clothes, Savoie district, France
Woman in traditional costume washing clothes, Savoie district, south east France. Date: 1922

Two French soldiers are taking care of their laundry using boards set up on the trough of
2606726 Two French soldiers are taking care of their laundry using boards set up on the trough of a fountain near a farm house in the town of Gildwiller, Department Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France

Washerwomen, (oil on panel)
650814 Washerwomen, (oil on panel) by Ulrich, Charles Frederic (1858-1908); 58.3x37.2 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Washerwomen. Charles Frederic Ulrich (1858-1908). Oil on panel

Lepton C of E First School. Staff and pupils wore the traditional clothes of the Victorian period as part of the schools 130th anniversary

The washing room, Battersea Polytechnic, London, 1907. Female students at work in the washing room, washing clothes by hand in basins, with washboards resting against the window

French Foreign Legion doing their washing, Casablanca, Morocco, 20th century. Artist: Boussuge
French Foreign Legion doing their washing, Casablanca, Morocco, 20th century. French postcard

Washerwomen, from the Volpini Suite: Dessins lithographiques, 1889. 1889
Washerwomen, from the Volpini Suite: Dessins lithographiques, 1889

FARMERs WIFE, 1938. A farmers wife washing clothes in a washbin, near Morganza, Louisiana. Photograph by Russell Lee, November 1938

WASHING MACHINE, 1940. Mrs. Hutton using an electric washing machine in Pie Town, New Mexico. Photograph by Russell Lee, 1940

TEXAS: MIGRANT GIRL, 1939. A young girl from a family of migrant workers doing laundry near Harlingen, Texas. Photograph by Russell Lee, 1939

MIGRANT CAMP, 1937. A woman washing clothes in a washbin at a camp for migrant workers near Calipatria, Imperial Valley, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1937

SHARECROPPER FAMILY, 1935. A family of a sharecropper standing in front of their farmhouse. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

MINNESOTA: LUMBER CAMP, 1937. A lumberjack washing his feet in a lumber camp, near Effie, Minnesota. Photograph by Russell Lee, September 1937

MIGRANT CAMP, 1939. A camp in a open field entering the town of Marlin in Klamath County, Oregon. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, September 1939

LOUISIANA: MUSICIANS, 1938. African American musicians playing the accordion and washboard in front of a store, near New Iberia, Louisiana. Photograph by Russell Lee, November 1938

SHARECROPPER HOME, 1938. Sharecroppers wife with her baby and young child inside a shack without windows, Missouri. Photograph by Russell Lee, May 1938

WASHBOARD, 1870. A newly-patented washing board. Wood engraving from an American magazine of 1870

TRADE CARD, c1890. Merchants trade card, American, c1890, for the Northern Queen washboard, patented in 1886

LAUNDRESS, c1918. An African American laundress with a washtub. Photograph, c1918

WOMENs RIGHTS, 1890. For the benefit of the girl who is about to graduate. A female student, fallen asleep during her studies, dreams of an approaching army of pots, pans, brooms, washtubs

SOAP ADVERTISEMENT, c1887. Lithograph advertisement for Champion American Soap Powder, c1887

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"From Upstairs Downstairs: The Melodies of the Washboard" In a quaint Victorian home, an industrious maid diligently scrubs away at a pile of laundry on her trusty washboard. As she rhythmically moves the clothes back and forth, her voice fills the air with a melodious tune that echoes through each room. Meanwhile, in another world entirely, a cartoon character finds themselves in a comical predicament involving a mischievous washboard. The laughter is contagious as this whimsical scene unfolds before our eyes. Shifting gears to politics, we find ourselves transported to the era of Liberal Prime Minister Asquith. With his steady leadership and progressive policies, he navigates turbulent waters much like the rhythmic strokes on a washboard. As we journey across America's vast landscapes during the Great Depression, photographer Dorothea Lange captures poignant moments amidst rows of tents housing pea pickers near Calipatria in Imperial Valley. These humble abodes tell stories of resilience and hardship while reminding us of the power within simplicity. Further north in Malin, Klamath County, Oregon lies one of forty potato camps scattered across open fields. Lange's lens reveals not only their living conditions but also their resourcefulness - from makeshift showers to ingenious power units - all brought together by the humbling presence of a washboard. Amongst these migrant communities stands out an image that tugs at our heartstrings; it portrays a young girl making use of facilities provided by Merrill FSA camp. Her determination shines through as she tackles life's challenges with grace while relying on her faithful companion - an old washboard. Returning south to Calipatria once more, we witness yet another snapshot frozen in time by Lange's lens. This time it is focused solely on pea picker camp life where every chore becomes an opportunity for connection and survival - even something as simple as washing clothes brings people together around this humble tool.