Washerwoman
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A washerwoman or laundress was a person, usually a woman, employed to wash laundry by hand, before the widespread use of washing machines and commercial laundries. The profession existed in many cultu
Bronze sculpture by Renoir, 1916
Washerwomen by the river, 20th century Poland
The annual dance of the washerwomen in one district of Paris, 1872
The Huaso and the Washerwoman by Mauricio Rugendas (1835)
Laundry
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Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which
Laundry is hung to dry above an Italian street.
Laundry is being done by a woman in the river, near Kiou Ka Cham, Laos
Washhouse in Sanremo, Italy, at about the turn of the 20th century
Washhouse in Cabeção, Portugal, today. Note the two basins and inclined stone lip.