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A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in
As evidenced by the character of
WikiCommons
In literature, the washerwoman may be a convenient disguise, as with Toad, one of the protagonists of '' The Wind in the Willows (1908),'' in order to escape from prison; and in ''
A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in 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 ...
. 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
Nausicaa (; grc, Ναυσικάα, Nausikáa, or , ) also spelled Nausicaä or Nausikaa, is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. She is the daughter of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of Phaeacia. Her name means "burner of ships" ( 'ship'; 'to b ...
in the Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...
, in the social conventions depicted by Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
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
"Fallen woman" is an archaic term which was used to describe a woman who has "lost her innocence", and fallen from the grace of God. In 19th-century Britain especially, the meaning came to be closely associated with the loss or surrender of a ...
" 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'', halfway through Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...
, i.e. three weeks after Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fa ...
or Shrove Tuesday). This festival has now been revived as Mi-Carême au Carnaval de Paris.
The wet nurse to George III of the United Kingdom
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
, who was born two months prematurely, was so valued by the king when he grew up that her daughter was appointed laundress to the Royal Household, "a sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval ch ...
place of great emolument".
In many cultures, laundry was seen as "women's work", so the village wash-house ( lavoir) acted as a space for women to gather and talk together as they washed clothes. While having a significant social function in various human cultures over thousands of years, the spread of washing machines and self-service laundries has rendered washerwomen unnecessary in much of the contemporary world.
In culture
The subject of laundresses or washerwomen was a popular one in art, especially in France, seWikiCommons
In literature, the washerwoman may be a convenient disguise, as with Toad, one of the protagonists of '' The Wind in the Willows (1908),'' in order to escape from prison; and in ''
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 ...
'' story of the 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 s ...
book series ''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 ...
'', Kevin the Ambidextrous Man poses as a washerwoman who works in the laundry room at the Hotel Denouement.
Also, washerwomen serve as characters depicting the working poor, as for example in ''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 ...
'': when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showed 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 Ghos ...
his future where he is dead, the laundress assists the 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 ...
Mrs. Dilber and the unnamed undertaker
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 ...
into stealing some of Scrooge's belongings and selling them to a fence
A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length.
...
named Old Joe.
In '' Power Rangers Beast Morphers'', the character Zoey Reeves started out as a washerwoman for Grid Battleforce.
See also
* Dhobi, the washermen of India * Baths and wash houses in Britain * Blanchisseuse, a village named after its washerwomen * Les Lavandières, a group of three old women in Celtic folklore *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 ...
, a similar occupation, involving cleaning houses and offices
References
{{Laundry navbox Laundry occupations Gendered occupations Domestic work Archaic English words and phrases