Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Ever wonder what laundry day in a Victorian household was like? If so, then check this out:

http://www.vintageconnection.net/VictorianLaundry.htm

That was great. Have to remind myself it's not so bad lugging mine to the landramat.

One thing tho---when I was in South America back in the 80s, my friend's grandmother did my wash for me with a wringer washer & by hand. My clothes had never been so clean before (or since). Somehow she managed to get out stains nothing else would. So, I think it's like a lost art!

Though my mother was born in Lowell MA her parents went back to the old country when she was just a baby.

Mom grew up in a third world country, the island of Madeira. In her village there was only one car. This was back in the early 20s. (she had me when she was 75.....so that would make me ? years old?)

In the town of Funchal was a river that ran right through it's center. Along with her mother, she would go down to the river to wash her clothing. They used boulders in the stream as stone wash boards and placed and spread out the wet clothing on stones and boulders near shore to dry in the late morning sun.

When I asked her why she did not just hang the clothes up at home on a clothes line, she said that she lived in a poor fishing village, line and rope was expensive and at a premium, and any clothes line that was left out would quickly disappear. (Line... fishing village?!

Why use such a vital commodity as line for the drying of clothes when you can just lay your wash on a rock and use the line for fishing.)

This is terrible! I can't for the life of me soak in anything you said after you said your mother was 75 when she had you!!!! I look like a deer caught in the head lights of a car, help! Did you perhaps hit the wrong key? If you were going for shock value, it worked for me.......still can't quite get my mouth shut.

Sorry SHAKIBOO.............I Was trying to be funny, but I guess it didn't work.

Though my mom had me late in life, she was actually 35, the reason I said she was 75 was in jest;

since she was a little girl in the early 20s (actually 6 or 7 years of age in 1923) I was trying to make myself appear younger by saying she had me when she was 75.

Perhaps in bad taste, but no shock value intended. I have this thing about getting old and am always playing down my age.

Sorry about the confusion.

To put the post above in perspective for anyone who did not understand it.........................

My mom grew up in Funchal and Machico on the Island of Madeira as a little girl. Madeira is an Island just north west of the Canary Islands which lies just off the coast of Morocco off the coast of Africa.

When she was 6 or 7 years of age, she remembers going down to the local river to do the wash with her mother. They dried the wash on shore by placing them on the rock shore. She lived in a fishing village and the fishermen use to "steal" the clothes lines to use for fishing. But in those days on that Island the poor washed their clothes down by the river and dried them over rocks in the sun.

So, if the Victorians thought they had it tuff?

This is a stereo view card from the time period I am talking about and the scene on the river in Madeira that I spoke about in my last post. Interesting splinter of history. I found this photo card last year on ebay. I was pleasantly surprise by the similarities between the image my Mom embedded in my mind and the one in the photo below. Both on the same river.

mbhenty @ Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:15 am wrote:

Sorry SHAKIBOO.............I Was trying to be funny, but I guess it didn't work.

Though my mom had me late in life, she was actually 35, the reason I said she was 75 was in jest;

since she was a little girl in the early 20s (actually 6 or 7 years of age in 1923) I was trying to make myself appear younger by saying she had me when she was 75.

Perhaps in bad taste, but no shock value intended. I have this thing about getting old and am always playing down my age.

Sorry about the confusion.

Oh don't be sorry, I was almost sure you were joking, but I did stutter there for a second!!! I know what you mean about the age thing, only I keep telling my children they are 13 and 15 and I of course am 39 and holding...... If Jack Benny could do it so can I!!! They actually had no idea how old I was till my nosey youngest saw my drivers license!! They were surprised but then since a couple of them are in their 30's it shouldn't have come as any big surprise! lol

Thank you MB for the illustrated history and a small peek at your heritage and family story!!