tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post8200884003786612186..comments2024-03-19T18:17:56.821-04:00Comments on Colonial Quills: Laundry Day in the 18th CenturyCarrie Fancett Pagelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09096954464239963966noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-30041875233129898872011-07-31T21:09:52.752-04:002011-07-31T21:09:52.752-04:00Lori, At 16 (1974) I was carrying water from a cre...Lori, At 16 (1974) I was carrying water from a creek 1/4 mile away from the school bus my family lived in. We boiled and srubbed our laundry in a cauldron over a kindling fire once a week. Oh, the memories! They will be in my book.Berta Dickersonhttp://snapshots-bertad.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-39631049127109346052011-07-24T23:01:44.096-04:002011-07-24T23:01:44.096-04:00Great article, Lori. Makes me tired reading!! Am f...Great article, Lori. Makes me tired reading!! Am feeling thankful. Same with cooking over an open hearth, etc. It's hard to understand or imagine today. That's the appeal of historicals, I guess! I've always been intrigued/surprised that 18th-c. gowns still have stains beneath the arms (ones in CW and other collections) as I guess there was no remedy for those. Think of dancing in 100Laura Frantzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07067252948999879024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-88125597185613369162011-07-21T22:32:56.408-04:002011-07-21T22:32:56.408-04:00Lori, Nice work. I was just reading some recipes i...Lori, Nice work. I was just reading some recipes in my files for how to get stains out, how to wash delicate things like silk, etc. If you are interested, drop me an email and I'll get them to you. Though I doubt upstate NY would have much silk stocking wearing in the eighteenth century, not on the true frontier anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-47427356382501836832011-07-21T17:53:14.741-04:002011-07-21T17:53:14.741-04:00The things we take for granted! What an ordeal. Th...The things we take for granted! What an ordeal. The housewife must have got pretty upset when a freshly laundered garment got dirty quickly, like a spill or something. With all of the conveniences that we have today it seems like many people have little respect for a woman who keeps house. I have great esteems for these ladies. They must have been in terrific shape considering all of the hard Carla Gadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01793809172905144101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-91878566822092362492011-07-21T17:17:43.468-04:002011-07-21T17:17:43.468-04:00Teresa, It's been so long since I visited Colo...Teresa, It's been so long since I visited Colonial Williamsburg. I was a child, and really have no memory of it. It's on my list of places I must see whenever I'm anywhere reasonably near there again. It's very dry here too in southern Oregon. Even at the laundromat I don't bother drying the clothes all the way. Just put stuff on hangers damp, then hang them up for an hour Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-89809976635257424372011-07-21T16:14:23.777-04:002011-07-21T16:14:23.777-04:00I can't imagine doing laundry the way they did...I can't imagine doing laundry the way they did. We are so spoiled.Jennifer Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06360330085131177132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-36323357850071936662011-07-21T09:27:54.619-04:002011-07-21T09:27:54.619-04:00Pat, Thanks for sharing that memory. Because you h...Pat, Thanks for sharing that memory. Because you have lived (all your life I think?) in the area where that particular batch of fictional laundry of mine got done, I'm always trying to see between the lines of your posts about NY! Sigh. One day I'll get there myself, if that book is ever contracted, somewhere before the final edits get done. <br /><br />And I'm all for men helping Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-63041635731567928732011-07-21T09:24:24.191-04:002011-07-21T09:24:24.191-04:00Pegg, I suspect you are right. I don't do much...Pegg, I suspect you are right. I don't do much sewing, but those few things I have sewn (kitchen curtains, those aren't TOO hard), are much sturdier than ones I've bought. Clothing in the 18C was oftentimes a work of art, with so much attention paid to detail, too. I can spend a lot of time paging through a book like What Clothes Reveal, by Linda Baumgarten, just feasting my eyes.Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-37650602762757943412011-07-20T23:50:12.700-04:002011-07-20T23:50:12.700-04:00Was waiting for this! Anyway, I remember living on...Was waiting for this! Anyway, I remember living on my grandfather's farm in the Adirondacks; they had a well, and my mom used a hand pump to pump the buckets of water. Then she and my grandmother had to boil it on a cast iron stove. After that, I remember when my Dad and grandfather had to wring out the laundry--"the man's job" (for strength)And that was in the fifties! (yes-s-sPat Iacuzzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11983141590663751303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-65121806460763627932011-07-20T20:15:09.501-04:002011-07-20T20:15:09.501-04:00Another good reminder of what it means to "wo...Another good reminder of what it means to "work". Can you image treating our clothes today in this manner? They'd fall apart in 2 or 3 washings. Clothes back then were much sturdier than what we wear now. They had to be!Pegg Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113756304449398701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-56893409429192563782011-07-20T19:52:58.906-04:002011-07-20T19:52:58.906-04:00Thanks, Joan. I've sometimes wondered if one o...Thanks, Joan. I've sometimes wondered if one of the reasons God nudged me toward historical fiction was to help me remember just how blessed I am. :)Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-76059340426591354312011-07-20T16:46:11.116-04:002011-07-20T16:46:11.116-04:00Wonderful details, Lori. Boy, I will never complai...Wonderful details, Lori. Boy, I will never complain about doing laundry again! We are so blessed, and how quickly we forget that!J. M. Hochstetlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07291602346312967152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-59043243225720019782011-07-20T16:30:41.030-04:002011-07-20T16:30:41.030-04:00Fay, thanks!
Roseanna, yes, it did get even harde...Fay, thanks!<br /><br />Roseanna, yes, it did get even harder than boiling laundry in a kettle!<br /><br />Rachel, so you know all about this stuff! Goodness, I used to live back east, but further up the coast, so the hurricanes were usually fizzling out by the time they reached us. I agree, I'd rather be doing laundry in the open air than shut up in a wash house, except for getting the wash Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-22023880286453504772011-07-20T14:26:15.127-04:002011-07-20T14:26:15.127-04:00My sister asked for a washboard for Christmas one ...My sister asked for a washboard for Christmas one year. We live in Louisiana, we get hit by hurricanes. The last two knocked our power out for five days. We spend most of the time the power is out, outside cleaning up. Clothes get nasty real fast.<br /><br />Hence the washboard! Last time, my sister was washing clothes out by the pool, without a washboard. Now we have one, and a laundry sink in Rachel Leigh Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16004728242824462126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-80281454444784075342011-07-20T13:53:18.294-04:002011-07-20T13:53:18.294-04:00And those not fortune enough to have the luxuries ...And those not fortune enough to have the luxuries of a washboard and tub had to resort to a "knucklebuster" and the local stream. ;-) (Or so said the sign in the colonial museum I visited last week, LOL.) <br /><br />Awesome post, Lori!!Roseanna Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02245767775900250399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-64217517670990102902011-07-20T13:30:06.190-04:002011-07-20T13:30:06.190-04:00Lot's of work! Great post, I learned so much!Lot's of work! Great post, I learned so much!Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03150290024386704712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-91314649846526026222011-07-20T12:15:38.064-04:002011-07-20T12:15:38.064-04:00Carrie... AMEN!Carrie... AMEN!Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-60659533100391426362011-07-20T12:14:41.687-04:002011-07-20T12:14:41.687-04:00Diana, we are SO blessed! The more I learn about 1...Diana, we are SO blessed! The more I learn about 18th century life, especially that on the frontier, lacking what few amenities were available back then, the more respect I earn for the women who raised and cared for their families in those times.Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-75290970748531479042011-07-20T12:11:24.893-04:002011-07-20T12:11:24.893-04:00Doree, they would have a kettle over a fire in the...Doree, they would have a kettle over a fire in the yard, and a row of tubs to scrub and rinse set on benches to help spare their backs. That's how I set it in the scene in my novel. I can only imagine (and have done so, of course) just how hot and muggy a task that had to be in summer. I suppose one would start it as early in the day as possible.Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-45554086584028526502011-07-20T11:44:32.273-04:002011-07-20T11:44:32.273-04:00Very interesting post, Lori, and (as I listen to m...Very interesting post, Lori, and (as I listen to my dryer tumbling right now) rather horrifying.:-) My hubs comes in so dirty from work, I shudder to think of washing his clothes out by hand, and oh, what about in the winter!? I'm ashamed to say I complain inwardly sometimes just having to fold them and hang them all up... that is so not good. After reading your article I will try to be more Diana Flowershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17127629740742628849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-36191263499827771362011-07-20T11:28:13.838-04:002011-07-20T11:28:13.838-04:00Interesting post, Lori. For those not fortunate en...Interesting post, Lori. For those not fortunate enough to have a wash "house" how would they manage this, in 100 degree heat? Or freezing, even? Back-breaking, sweat-inducing work indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-64203856106241264052011-07-20T11:18:23.042-04:002011-07-20T11:18:23.042-04:00Reminds me of camping trips as a child and washing...Reminds me of camping trips as a child and washing stuff and rinsing it in the lake or with fresh pumped water. Just think - in many places people still must wash and dry their clothes just as you described. We are so blessed to live in a free and prosperous country.Carrie Fancett Pagelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096954464239963966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-87331908046305172352011-07-20T10:29:08.189-04:002011-07-20T10:29:08.189-04:00Debra, wringing out jeans? That does sound tough o...Debra, wringing out jeans? That does sound tough on the hands. Since I do my laundry at a laundromat once a week, for in between times I've learned the fine art of spot cleaning. :) Our 18th century great-great-greats must have been SUCH strong women. I can remember my husband's grandmother, who lived on a farm and raised cattle, had the strongest hands in the family. If a jar needed Lori Bentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04714197239425827339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139112422565969072.post-21766157742309180882011-07-20T05:45:55.508-04:002011-07-20T05:45:55.508-04:00I always hang my clothes (inside in winter and yes...I always hang my clothes (inside in winter and yes they are very wrinkled) but for a month or more I did laundry by hand and I can tell you that wringing out jeans and corduroys got pretty tough on the hands and arms. Definitely good 'research'. <br /><br />I can see why they wore things more than once. ahem.<br /><br />Nice post Lori!Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.com