washerwoman
Sign in to saveAlso known as laundress, washwoman, launderer, lavander, laundrywoman
thumb|Bronze sculpture by Renoir, 1916
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- occupation
- Image
- Washerwomen, Grasse - A Book of the Riviera.jpg
- Field of occupation
- laundry
Show 3 more facts
- female form of label
- lavistino
- Commons category
- Washerwomen
- male form of label
- lavandier
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
13 sectionsContents
- Work and Conditions
- History
- Ancient and Medieval World
- Early Modern Period
- Nineteenth Century
- Europe
- U.S.
- African American Women
- Chinese Laundrymen
- Decline
- In culture
- See also
- References
thumb|Bronze sculpture by Renoir, 1916
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 cultures, spanning from antiquity to the early modern period. While the profession has historically been gendered, often associated with women, in some contexts, men also performed laundry labor. It was typically low-paid, physically arduous, and associated with lower social status. Their work has been documented through art, literature, and labor records.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “washerwoman” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.