Art
Laundry was one of the heaviest household tasks in American life. A single wash day could consume an entire day of backbreaking labor—hauling water, heating it, scrubbing, wringing, and hanging to dry. For most families, this work fell to women and children.
Art · Full story
Your arms ache as you lift the wet bundle from the tub—twenty pounds of cotton and wool, heavy as a sleeping child. Steam rises from the boiling kettle. Your hands are raw. Outside, the clothesline waits, and you know you'll do this all again in seven days.
Reflect
How has laundry changed your household? What time does it take now?