Ironing Collection

Dressmakers workshop
Staff in the workroom of a dressmaker or outfitter. Clothes in various stages of completion are on dummies. The employees (all female apart from a solitary man with a tape measure around his neck)

Ewbank Master Washer
A housewife uses her Ewbank Master Clothes Washer for washing, wringing and ironing

Aylesbury Inebriate Reformatory - Inmates at Work in Laundry
Staff supervise inmates ironing washing in laundry of Aylesbury Inebriate Reformatory. Date: 1908

POSTER: BOOKS, c1938. A Bookmark Would Be Better! Poster promoting proper care for library books. Silkscreen by Arlington Gregg, c1938

The Laundress
ACC17427 The Laundress by Frere, Pierre Edouard (1819-86); Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, Lancashire, UK; eHaworth Art Gallery; French, out of copyright

Laundry at Shirley Schools, near Croydon, Surrey
Inmates ironing clothes and linen in the laundry at the Shirley Schools, near Croydon, Surrey, established in 1904 by the St Olave Union to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Laundry at National Childrens Home, Harpenden, Herts
Girls iron and fold clean washing in the laundry at the National Childrens Home, Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Girls Washing & Ironing
Girls washing and ironing

Woman Ironing, begun c. 1876, completed c. 1887. Creator: Edgar Degas
Woman Ironing, begun c. 1876, completed c. 1887

Ironing Day, by Ethel Parkinson. A little Dutch girl tries to iron a sheet, but a little boy has his arm round her and is trying to kiss her

Laundrymaid Ironing
Repasseuse (ironer)

Curry&rice / Dressmakers
The Colonels lady with native dressmakers ironing and measuring for a new outfit

Woam ironing with bad posture (engraving)
8655781 Woam ironing with bad posture (engraving) by French School, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Woam ironing with bad posture)

Ironing and calendaring machine, 1871
3479208 Ironing and calendaring machine, 1871; (add.info.: Ironing and calendaring machine, heated by steam, gas, jets or a coal fire)

This Mechanized Age, 1937: Laundry Ironer (colour litho)
8657553 This Mechanized Age, 1937: Laundry Ironer (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Laundry Ironer)

Repasseuse - Female presser, Paris, early 19th century, ironing clothes on a table
FLO4658424 Repasseuse - Female presser, Paris, early 19th century, ironing clothes on a table, wearing a blue dress with white scarf, and her hair in ringlets and a bignon

Monopole linen, c.1880-1890 (illustration)
8698389 Monopole linen, c.1880-1890 (illustration) by Roedel, Auguste (1859-1900); (add.info.: Society. Lifestyle. Laundrywoman ironing)

France: Gender scene, 2 young girls come back and have breakfast, 1865
LUX4816715 France: Gender scene, 2 young girls come back and have breakfast, 1865; (add.info.: France: Gender scene, 2 young girls come back and have breakfast, 1865); Photo © Lux-in-Fine.

Letter R: irons - Professions Alphabet, c.1900 (lithograph)
DUV4216443 Letter R: irons - Professions Alphabet, c.1900 (lithograph); 20x14 cm; (add.info.: Album containing a simplified reading method and an illustrated abecedary - Pont-a-Mousson Imaging)

Commands: Iron dolly's dress (colour litho)
8651656 Commands: Iron dolly's dress (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Iron dolly's dress)

From linen to work, 1865
LUX4818248 From linen to work, 1865; (add.info.: From linen to work, 1865); Photo © Lux-in-Fine.

A laundry lady working n a building yard of the old Tours, 1885
LUX4751553 A laundry lady working n a building yard of the old Tours, 1885; (add.info.: France, Centre, Indre-et-Loire (37), Tours); Photo © Lux-in-Fine.

Rural life in the early twentieth century
Miroslaw Prybinski

The ironers
Christine von Diepenbroek

Illustration for Basedow's Elementary Work, 1770. Creator: Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki
Illustration for Basedow's Elementary Work, 1770. A popular illustrated textbook for children

Interior with woman ironing and a child sewing, 1854-1914. Creator: Albert Neuhuys
Interior with woman ironing and a child sewing, 1854-1914

Woman Ironing, 1912. Creator: Wouters, Rik (1882-1916)
Woman Ironing, 1912. Found in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Eight African American children, in kindergarten, learning washing and ironing... 1899 or 1900
Eight African American children, in kindergarten, learning washing and ironing at Whittier Primary School, Hampton, Virginia, 1899 or 1900

Iron Stand, c. 1941. Creator: Elmo Fleming
Iron Stand, c. 1941

Iron Stand, c. 1938. Creator: Roy Weber
Iron Stand, c. 1938

Japanese relocation, California, 1942. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Japanese relocation, California. Ester Naite, an office worker from Los Angeles, is shown operating an electric iron in her quarters at Manzanar, California

Plate from l'Assommoir (women ironing, man seated before a woodstove), 1879. Creator: Gaston la Touche
Plate from l'Assommoir (women ironing, man seated before a woodstove), 1879

Singer: Faith Brown. February 1975 75-00738

Singer: Faith Brown. February 1975 75-00738-013

A Penny Barber, 1789. 1789. Creator: Thomas Rowlandson
A Penny Barber, 1789

The The Wrinkle-commessioneresse
Christine von Diepenbroek

Actor George Formby and wife Beryl. March 1939

Classroom scenes at Carlisle, Pa. Indian School. Ironing; women students, 1901. Creator: Frances Benjamin Johnston
Classroom scenes at Carlisle, Pa. Indian School. Ironing; women students, 1901

Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pa. Ironing class, 1901. Creator: Frances Benjamin Johnston
Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle, Pa. Ironing class, 1901

Mr Tryon the Tailor

Girls learning how to do laundry correctly, maybe to do domestic work when leaving the orphanage. Date: 1900

Ironing, 1912 (oil on canvas)
471068 Ironing, 1912 (oil on canvas) by Wouters, Rik (1882-1916); 108.5x124.8 cm; Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp, Belgium; (add.info.: Painted in the artist's home)

Young lingere - Poster advertising of the Belle Jardiniere for a sale of linen and shirts, c. 1890 - 1900
LSE4100937 Young lingere - Poster advertising of the Belle Jardiniere for a sale of linen and shirts, c.1890 - 1900 by Redon, Georges (1869-1943); Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris

The seamstress, in Imagier de l'enfance, c. 1900 (engraving)
DUV4206248 The seamstress, in Imagier de l enfance, c.1900 (engraving) by Raffin, Ferdinand (1870?-1948); 14.5 x 18.5 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: The seamstress)

Manufacture of self-sealing gas tanks, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Akron, Ohio, 1941. Creator: Alfred T Palmer
Manufacture of self-sealing gas tanks, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Akron, Ohio

An unfortunate ironing: a little girl burns with the iron. 1908 (chromolithograph)
DUV4202263 An unfortunate ironing: a little girl burns with the iron. 1908 (chromolithograph) by Bigot-Valentin (fl. 19th); 24.5x20.5 cm; (add.info.: An unfortunate ironing)

Laundresses, from La Femme a Paris by Octave Uzanne, engraved by F. Masse, 1894 (coloured engraving)
EDI188947 Laundresses, from La Femme a Paris by Octave Uzanne, engraved by F. Masse, 1894 (coloured engraving) by Vidal, Pierre (b.1849) (after); Private Collection

Illustration for Le Rire (colour litho)
2796035 Illustration for Le Rire (colour litho) by Gerbault, Henri (1863-1930); Private Collection; (add.info.: Illustration for Le Rire, 22 March 1902.); © Look and Learn

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"Ironing: From Dressmakers Workshop to House Husband's First Day" In this captivating cartoon by Sax, we witness the man's comical journey as he embarks on his first day as a house husband. As he attempts to conquer the ironing task, chaos ensues. The Ewbank Master Washer and The Laundress stand as silent witnesses, offering their expertise in achieving perfectly pressed garments. These historical references take us back to an era when laundry was meticulously done by hand. At Aylesbury Inebriate Reformatory, inmates diligently work in the laundry room, showcasing how they are be a means of rehabilitation and productivity. Shirley Schools near Croydon reveal a different perspective on ironing - here it becomes an essential part of teaching young girls life skills that will serve them well into adulthood. Similarly, at the National Children's Home in Harpenden, Herts. , children learn the art of washing and ironing under careful guidance. Edgar Degas' painting "Woman Ironing" captures a moment frozen in time - a glimpse into the laborious process women endured during those years. It serves as a reminder of how far we have come with modern appliances like the Ewbank Master Washer. A playful poster from 1938 reminds us that proper care for our belongings is crucial; even books deserve attention. Ironing plays its role in preserving our cherished possessions. Ethel Parkinson's artwork "Ironing Day" transports us to simpler times when families gathered around piles of freshly washed clothes waiting patiently for their turn under the hot iron. It evokes nostalgia for days gone by but also highlights the importance of clean and crisp attire. Finally, we encounter Laundrymaid Ironing - an image that encapsulates both hard work and dedication required in this household chore throughout history.