Typical laundry tools used by women to
complete washing tasks for their family.
Lowerhouse Mile - 'Laundry'
Laundry in the 1800's was typically completed in cramped scullery's or dark tenement courtyards. The tools needed were soap, a metal tub, a washboard (for rubbing the clothes), a dolly (looks like a broom handle with a stool on the end for agitating the clothes), a mangle (a set of rollers which the clothes were fed between to squeeze out water) and a fire/range to heat the water.
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Lady using a mangle to squeeze
the water out of the laundry.
the water out of the laundry.
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Small amounts of laundry would often be
washed in a small tub in the living room.
washed in a small tub in the living room.
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The backyard would be used for
washing, if the weather was fine.
washing, if the weather was fine.
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Where possible, washing would be done
inside the house, space permitting.
inside the house, space permitting.
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The young girls within a family were
often tasked with laundry duties.
often tasked with laundry duties.