Washbin Collection

PUERTO RICO: SLUM, 1942. A street in the slum area of the hill town of Lares, Puerto Rico. Photograph by Jack Delano, January 1942

FARMERs WIFE, 1938. A farmers wife washing clothes in a washbin, near Morganza, Louisiana. Photograph by Russell Lee, November 1938

MIGRANT CAMP, 1939. A laundry unit at the Westley camp for migrant workers in San Joaquin Valley, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, February 1939

MIGRANT CAMP, 1937. A woman washing clothes in a washbin at a camp for migrant workers near Calipatria, Imperial Valley, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1937

WASHING CLOTHES, 1939. Farmers wife washing clothes on a farm at El Indio, Texas. Photograph by Russell Lee, March 1939

SHANTYTOWN, 1938. Migrant worker using a washbin to clean the dishes near his shack in a shantytown near New Iberia, Louisiana. Photograph by Russell Lee, November 1938

ARKANSAS: SHARECROPPER. A sharecropper washing his hands in a small water basin, Ozark Mountain, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

MINNESOTA: LUMBER CAMP, 1937. A lumberjack washing his feet in a lumber camp, near Effie, Minnesota. Photograph by Russell Lee, September 1937

MIGRANT WOMAN, 1939. A grandmother at a migrant camp in Stanislaus County, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, April 1939

OREGON: KITCHEN, 1939. A corner of a kitchen in a small farmhouse in Malheur County, Oregon. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, October 1939

MIGRANT CAMP, 1939. A camp in a open field entering the town of Marlin in Klamath County, Oregon. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, September 1939

MIGRANT WORKER CAMP, 1935. Mother and child using a wash basin in a rehabilitation camp for migrant workers and families in California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, March 1935

MIGRANT CAMP, 1939. A laundry unit at a mobile camp for migrant workers in Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, October 1939

VIRGINIA: WASH DAY, 1900. African American women and girls washing the family laundry, Virginia. Oil over a photograph, c1900, by Frances Benjamin Johnston

OKLAHOMA DUGOUT, c1909. A family in front of their dugout house with a horse-drawn wagon and a cow, Oklahoma. Photograph, c1909

IRVING: RIP VAN WINKLE. Etching, 1848, by Felix O.C. Darley for Washington Irvings Rip van Winkle

VIRGINIA: WASH DAY, c1900. African American women and girls washing the family laundry, Virginia. Photograph, c1900, by Frances Benjamin Johnston

HINE: LOG CABIN, 1921. A small run-down log cabin occupied by a family that has gradually stopped farming and begun mining and doing odd jobs in Big Chimney, West Virginia

SUNLIGHT SOAP AD, 1891. English newspaper advertisement, 1891

AMERICAN SOAP CO. AD, 1851. Advertisement, 1851, for the American Soap Company in New York City

CIVIL WAR: SERVANTS, 1862. Servants of Prince François of Joinville at the Union Army camp at Yorktown, Virginia. Photograph by James Gibson, 3 May 1863

WOMEN WASHING. Women washing clothes. 19th century engraving

COLONIAL LAUNDRESS. A colonial American laundress. English line engraving after an illustration by Hugh Thompson, 1894

CERAMIC SINK ADVERTISEMENT. American advertisement for wash tubs made by the Stewart Ceramic Company, 1890

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH. Blacksmith washing his hands with Ivory soap. Advertisement engraving, American, 1887

DAILY LIFE: HOUSEWORK. Wood engraving, English, late 19th century

SEABROOK ISLAND: LAGOON. Lagoon on Seabrook Island, South Carolina. Wood engraving, American, 1863

EMIGRANTS: ARKANSAS, 1874. A gathering of women emigrants at an Arkansas camp along the new railway tracks laid by their husbands and sons. American engraving, 1874

WASHBOARD, 1870. A newly-patented washboard. Wood engraving from an American magazine of 1870

ALLIGATOR ATTACK, c1865. Terrible encounter of a Florida washerwoman with an alligator. Wood engraving from an American newspaper, c1865

PILGRIMS: WASHING DAY. The pilgrims first washing day, Monday, 23rd November 1620 at Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Wood engraving, 19th century

CHRISTMAS PUDDING, 1848. Taking up the Christmas pudding. Wood engraving after a drawing by Kenny Meadows, English, 1848

SILENT FILM STILL. Betty Compson

THE MAILMAN, 1923. Martha Sleeper in a scene from the film

SLUMS OF BERLIN, 1925. Film still

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In the early 20th century, washbins were not just a simple household item; they represented resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. From Puerto Rico's slums to Louisiana's farmlands, these humble basins played a vital role in daily life. In 1942, amidst the poverty-stricken streets of Lares, Puerto Rico, captured by Jack Delano's lens, a washbin stood as a symbol of hope. It served as a sanctuary for families struggling to make ends meet, their determination shining through each garment washed with care. Traveling across America during those challenging times revealed countless stories etched into the fabric of society. In Morganza, Louisiana in 1938, we witnessed a farmer's wife diligently scrubbing clothes in her trusty washbin. Her hands worked tirelessly to provide clean garments for her family while embodying strength and dedication. Migrant camps became temporary homes for displaced workers seeking better opportunities. In San Joaquin Valley's Westley camp in 1939, laundry units filled with washbins became communal spaces where dreams mingled with soap suds. These makeshift laundromats fostered unity among migrant workers striving for brighter futures. Shantytowns and sharecropper settlements may have lacked material wealth but never spirit or resourcefulness. A shantytown dweller near his shack used an old washbin to clean dishes - proof that even amidst destitution one can find dignity and cleanliness. Beyond domestic chores lay tales from lumber camps like Effie in Minnesota (1937). Here we discovered rugged lumberjacks washing their weary feet after long days battling nature's elements—a reminder that even amid laborious work routines hygiene remained essential. The struggles faced by migrant women were particularly poignant; yet they found solace within their communities. In Stanislaus County’s migrant camp (1939), grandmothers embraced their roles as caretakers while using modest washbasins to ensure cleanliness for their loved ones.