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Washerwoman
A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in laundry. Both terms are now old-fashioned; equivalent work nowadays is done by a laundry worker in large commercial premises, or a laundrette (laundromat) attendant. Description As evidenced by the character of Nausicaa in the Odyssey, in the social conventions depicted by Homer and evidently taken for granted in Greek society of the time, there was nothing unusual or demeaning in a princess and her handmaidens personally washing laundry. However, in later times this was mostly considered as the work of women of low social status. The Magdalene asylums chose laundering as a suitable occupation for the "fallen women" they accommodated. In between these two extremes, the various sub-divisions of laundry workers in 19th-century France (''blanchisseuse'', ''lavandière'', ''laveuse'', ''buandière'', ''repasseuse'', etc.) were respected for their trade. A festival in their honour was held at the end of winter (''Mi-Careme'', h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Washerwoman MET 1999
A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in laundry. Both terms are now old-fashioned; equivalent work nowadays is done by a laundry worker in large commercial premises, or a laundrette (laundromat) attendant. Description As evidenced by the character of Nausicaa in the Odyssey, in the social conventions depicted by Homer and evidently taken for granted in Greek society of the time, there was nothing unusual or demeaning in a princess and her handmaidens personally washing laundry. However, in later times this was mostly considered as the work of women of low social status. The Magdalene asylums chose laundering as a suitable occupation for the " fallen women" they accommodated. In between these two extremes, the various sub-divisions of laundry workers in 19th-century France (''blanchisseuse'', ''lavandière'', ''laveuse'', ''buandière'', ''repasseuse'', etc.) were respected for their trade. A festival in their honour was held at the end of winter (''Mi-Careme'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laundry
Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this universal human need are of interest to several branches of scholarship. Laundry work has traditionally been highly gendered, with the responsibility in most cultures falling to women (formerly known as laundresses or washerwomen). The Industrial Revolution gradually led to mechanized solutions to laundry work, notably the washing machine and later the tumble dryer. Laundry, like cooking and child care, is still done both at home and by commercial establishments outside the home. The word "laundry" may refer to the clothing itself, or to the place where the cleaning happens. An individual home may have a laundry room; a utility room includes but is not restricted to the function of washing clothes. An apartment building or student hal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charwoman
A charwoman (also chargirl, charlady or char) is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually lives as part of the household within the structure of domestic service. A charwoman might work independently, often for cash in hand, or might come through an employment agency. Before 1960, the term "charwoman" was used as an official job title by government agencies in the United States, including municipal and state governments and by federal agencies such as the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Bureau of the Census, and the Bureau of Immigration. Charwomen have also sometimes been referred to as "scrubwomen". The word has the same root as "chore woman", one hired to do odd chores around the house. In British English, "cleaner" is now used much more often. In American English, the term "maid" is often used for any woman who cle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Christmas Carol
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas Carol'' recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. Dickens wrote ''A Christmas Carol'' during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Funeral Director
A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the arrangements for the funeral ceremony (although not the directing and conducting of the funeral itself unless clergy are not present). Funeral directors may at times be asked to perform tasks such as dressing (in garments usually suitable for daily wear), casketing (placing the corpse in the coffin), and cossetting (applying any sort of cosmetic or substance to the best viewable areas of the corpse for the purpose of enhancing its appearance). A funeral director may work at a funeral home or be an independent employee. Etymology The term mortician is derived from the Roman word ''mort-'' (“death”) + ''-ician''. In 1895, the trade magazine ''The Embalmers' Monthly'' put out a call for a new name for the profession in the US ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge () is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas. The tale of his redemption by three spirits (the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) has become a defining tale of the Christmas holiday in the English-speaking world. Dickens describes Scrooge thus early in the story: "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice." Towards the end of the novella, the three spirits show Scrooge the errors of his ways, and he becomes a better, more generous man. Scrooge's last name has entered the English language as a byword for greed and misanthropy, while his catchphrase, " Bah! Humbug!" is often used to express disgust with many modern Christmas tradi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit from the ghost of his deceased business partner Jacob Marley, Scrooge receives nocturnal visits by three Ghosts of Christmas, each representing a different period in Scrooge's life. The shrouded, ominous and silent Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is Scrooge's last visitor, and shows him a vision of a Christmas Day in the near future after his own death. Background By early 1843, Dickens had been affected by the treatment of the poor, and in particular the treatment of the children of the poor after witnessing children working in appalling conditions in a tin mine and following a visit to a ragged school. Indeed, Dickens himself had experienced poverty as a boy when he was forced to work in a blacking factory after his father's impr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of A Series Of Unfortunate Events Characters
The children's novel series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and its film and television adaptations features a large cast of characters created by Daniel Handler under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. The original series follows the turbulent lives of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, after their parents are killed in an arsonous structure fire and their multiple escapes from their murderous supposed distant relative Count Olaf, who is after their fortune; while discovering about a secret organization called VFD and a schism that tore it apart. The author himself is also a character, playing a major role in the plot. Although the series is given no distinct location, other real people appear in the narrative, including the series' illustrator, Brett Helquist, and Daniel Handler himself. Overview Main characters Count Olaf Count Olaf is the franchise's main antagonist and one of the primary characters who is described to be the Baudelaire children's t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Series Of Unfortunate Events
''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their parents' death in a fire, the children are placed in the custody of a murderous relative, Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance and later, orchestrates numerous disasters with the help of his accomplices as the children attempt to flee. As the plot progresses, the Baudelaires gradually confront further mysteries surrounding their family and deep conspiracies involving a secret society known as the V.F.D. (Volunteer Fire Department). Characterized by Victorian Gothic tones and absurdist textuality,Olson, Danel21st-Century Gothic: Great Gothic Novels Since 2000 Retrieved 13 January 2017. the books are noted for their dark humour, sarcastic storytelling, and anachronistic elements, as well as frequent cultural and literary allus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970). Handler has published several children's books under the name, most notably ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 million copies and spawned a 2004 film and TV series from 2017 to 2019. Lemony Snicket also serves as both the fictional narrator and a character in ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', as well as the main character in its prequel, a four-part book series titled ''All the Wrong Questions''. In ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', Snicket investigates and re-tells the story of the Baudelaire orphans. The series ''All the Wrong Questions'' is written as a mock-autobiography, and follows Snicket through his childhood and apprenticeship to the Volunteer Fire Department (V.F.D.) Snicket is also the subject of a fictional autobiography titled '' Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography'' and a pamphlet called ''13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Penultimate Peril
''The Penultimate Peril'' is the twelfth novel in the children's novel series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' by Lemony Snicket. Plot The Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny are travelling with pregnant V.F.D. member Kit Snicket to Hotel Denouement, the last safe place for volunteers to gather. She tells them that, prior to V.F.D.’s gathering in two days, they will be disguised as concierges to observe the mysterious 'J.S.,’ in order to identify him as a volunteer or a villain of V.F.D. The hotel's managers are identical triplets Frank, Dewey and Ernest - Frank is a volunteer, while Ernest is on the opposing side as a villain, and Dewey is someone of legend who many do not believe exists. He has created a book cataloging all information of the V.F.D. During their first day of disguised employment, the Baudelaires split up to assist the hotel's guests - Violet assists Esmé Squalor and Carmelita Spats by bringing them a harpoon gun, Klaus assists Charles and Si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wind In The Willows
''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also details short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen. ''The Wind in the Willows'' received negative reviews upon its initial release, but has since become a classic of British literature. It was listed at No. 16 in the BBC's survey The Big Read, and has been adapted multiple times in different mediums. Background Kenneth Grahame married Elspeth Thomson, the daughter of Robert William Thomson in 1899, when he was 40. The next year they had their only child, a boy named Alastair (nicknamed "Mouse"). He was born premature, blind in one eye, and was plagued by hea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
