Art
Laundry was one of the most labor-intensive household tasks of the 19th century, requiring hours of hauling water, heating, scrubbing, and wringing. This photograph captures Mexican laundresses at work in Chihuahua, documenting the backbreaking routine that defined a day's work for countless women on both sides of the border.
Art · Full story
Steam rises from massive kettles as women bend over wooden tubs, their hands raw and wrinkled from hot water and lye soap. The sun beats down as wet fabric is wrung out, twisted tight between two pairs of hands, then spread across rocks and shrubs to dry in the desert heat. Every garment, every sheet, demands muscle and time.
Reflect
How has laundry day changed in your home—and what work has stayed the same?