If there's any area in which I do not envy the Victorian woman (except for, perhaps, health care), it would be the laundry. Today, I rely - nay, depend - on a washing machine that I can simply fill with dirty clothes and walk away from. The Victorian woman, on the other hand, had to spend hours over a tub filled with scalding water, scrubbing garments on a scrub-board. Nor did the water flow conveniently through a pipe; first, it had to be heated in kettles on the stove! Soap was often a harsh concoction of lye and fat. Once clothes were clean, they had to be wrung out, often using a mangle (left). Then they had to be hung somewhere to dry - outdoors, if one was lucky and had a sunny day, but more often indoors, in one's kitchen or attic. Some garments could never actually be washed, but had to be sponged clean. When Victorians referred to Monday as "wash day," they meant the entire day!

Receipts for Coloring [Dyeing Fabric] (Godey's, 1868)

Washing at Home (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

The Art of Washing, by A.A. Strange Butson (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

A Short Essay on Washing, by Mary Dean (Scribner's, 1879B)

How I Made Soap, by Florence Burnham (Demorest, 1880)

Suffice it to say that the process did not go according to the directions!

How to Wash and Iron, by Ruth Lamb (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

The Care of Clothing, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1883)

This series looks at how to clean, renovate, and care for clothing, including how to deal with spots and stains of various kinds.

A Day at a Model Laundry (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884)

Hours in My Laundry, by Phyllis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1888)

How to Wash Woolen Dresses (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

How to Wash Coloured Dresses, by Phyllis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1889)

In the Laundry: Removing Stains (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1889)

The Art of Washing, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

The Care of One's Clothes, by Josepha Crane (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1892)

Helps in the Laundry, by Anna Sawyer (Ladies' Home Journal, 1892)

A Lady in the Laundry (Girl's Own Paper, 1894)

The Art of Washing, by Lina Orman Cooper (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

The Art of Renovating, by Emma M. Hooper (Ladies Home Journal, 1896)

Tips on cleaning and mending clothes and other fabrics.

How to Get Up [Clean] Lace and Chiffon (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

My Laundry, and How It Is Furnished, by Lina Orman Cooper (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Furnishings include a folding board, mangle, indiarubber wringer, and a wire on handles for cutting soap bars to the desired size.

Some Hints on Starching, by Mary Harter (Girl's Own Paper, 1901)

• See also Household Linens