tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post3722824565584531503..comments2024-02-18T22:40:55.084-05:00Comments on Jane Austen Today: Every Day Chores of Laundry and Scullery Maids, and Washer WomenVichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13668098318085667188noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-272055763225836872008-07-31T18:23:00.000-04:002008-07-31T18:23:00.000-04:00I used bluing agent recently and my whites have ne...I used bluing agent recently and my whites have never been whiter. Now I see how they managed to keep whites from being stained or always yellowed.LilyOakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05977997237071782985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-85777885515321798802008-07-31T18:21:00.000-04:002008-07-31T18:21:00.000-04:00My boyfriend and I recently bought and experimente...My boyfriend and I recently bought and experimented with bluing and I have never seen whites so white in my life - we had a woman in a grocery store actually ask us how we got our tees so white!LilyOakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05977997237071782985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-68853944228495938802008-02-18T17:05:00.000-05:002008-02-18T17:05:00.000-05:00Found this site by accident while looking for a la...Found this site by accident while looking for a larger picture of "A Lady's Maid Soaping Linen" and I have to say...<BR/><BR/>GREAT STUFF! I'm writing a book based in the 18th / 19th centuries and it's hard to find detail about the lower classes, and especially paintings.Bethanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09461042850327058970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-13689024796259945842007-07-30T23:18:00.000-04:002007-07-30T23:18:00.000-04:00My goodness what hard work! I love to do laundry, ...My goodness what hard work! I love to do laundry, but it is so easy because machines do it for me. My dad was born in 1922, he told me that when he was a boy, one of his jobs was to collect firewood, and then make a fire to boil water, that his mother would then use to wash clothes in. I just love your site!Annettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09693346981997723405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-1492907663425639362007-07-26T09:13:00.000-04:002007-07-26T09:13:00.000-04:00Indeed, Kelly. I also forgot to mention that in th...Indeed, Kelly. I also forgot to mention that in those tall narrow town houses, scullery maids and maids of all work had to haul buckets of water up three flights of steep stairs. I get exhausted just thinking about it.Vichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13668098318085667188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-85200059119931519052007-07-26T06:30:00.000-04:002007-07-26T06:30:00.000-04:00I'll never complain about doing my laundry again! ...I'll never complain about doing my laundry again! :) Nice post!Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17127360551491505128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-48408023135782864272007-07-26T00:59:00.000-04:002007-07-26T00:59:00.000-04:00Just a note on cleaning difficult garments: even i...Just a note on cleaning difficult garments: even in the 20th century, a ballet tutu can be "cleaned" by spraying it with vodka, and hanging it up to dry!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-61322501570571511462007-07-25T08:42:00.000-04:002007-07-25T08:42:00.000-04:00They used lye, unfortunately, which was very rough...They used lye, unfortunately, which was very rough on the hands as well as cloth. Yes, chemises were loose shapeless garments that were gathered at the neck and arms, and they could take the boiling, beating, and pummeling that washing required in those days. However, think about those delicate muslins and embroidered shawls: they could not have been washed as often or with such 'violence.'Vichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13668098318085667188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-67876307671264746482007-07-25T00:17:00.000-04:002007-07-25T00:17:00.000-04:00What a lovely post, dear! The paintings are lovely...What a lovely post, dear! The paintings are lovely, very nice of that Mr. Morland to paint 'ordinary laundry maids' of those days.<BR/><BR/>Also, the article reminds me of a scene in Becoming Jane when Jane helped Mrs. Austen doing the laundry. They soaked the white clothes into a boiling water. Wouldn't it make the clothes bigger then? What kind of soap did they use?Ichahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11201156394951497511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-88579452364262469682007-07-24T17:48:00.000-04:002007-07-24T17:48:00.000-04:00I feel so sorry for the scores of poor laundry and...I feel so sorry for the scores of poor laundry and scullery maids over the centuries. What a hard life that must have been!<BR/><BR/>The modern day me would have said precisely the same thing you wrote! Bdiy!Vichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13668098318085667188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33189102.post-85652166727762165252007-07-24T08:10:00.000-04:002007-07-24T08:10:00.000-04:00Yah...I'd handle washing a BIG heavy gown once and...Yah...I'd handle washing a BIG heavy gown once and then I would look at my mistress and say...<BR/><BR/>Bitch, do it yourself!<BR/><BR/>Ha!Damselflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00865160924325491575noreply@blogger.com