Wednesday, April 07, 2021

Wash Day

Wash Day, by Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922)

Hello Everyone,

I'm still busy at The Inn, and wanted to drop by for a moment and share a painting with you. You might recall me talking about the way people would hang some of their sheets, pillowcases, towels, and some garments over foliage outdoors. They liked lavender, cedar, and anything with a scent that would freshen the fabrics. There are paintings depicting this, and I think one of them was by Helen Allingham. This one is by Edmund Leighton, who was also an architect.

 The design of the house is similar to the miniature Southern Colonial, which I once occupied on a ranch in Texas.  However the wash day evoked a few memories of times past, when we ran out of clothesline space and put a sheet or two over something else, to dry in the hot weather.

As I checked the dates of his life, I noticed that despite all the wars and threats of national disasters and political problems, the artists of his era still painted. Not much of beauty was accomplished by the world commotion, but we do enjoy the lasting value of these paintings.  We could do something as well, to show for "the war", something worthwhile.  

It does not have to be art. Anything that improves home life, or self development is much better than doing nothing.  Learning manners and ways to have better relationships with others, or just getting fit through exercise. I benefitted greatly from the link to the tea video I posted previously.  There are also some hair style videos I have watched and learned from, and of course, speech, home interiors, food preparation, natural health, garden, and much more.  These are practical things that can be adapted into life at home. 

I hope to be back here soon with a new listen-as-you-go Homemaker radio episode.




 

8 comments:

Mrs. White said...

These are lovely and encouraging thoughts. Thank you.

Lydia said...

You are sweet.

Lynn said...

Seeing the years the painter lived, I couldn't help but think of all the many changes in the world he lived through...no electricity to having it, no cars to having cars, no phones vs having them....maybe some other things of which I am not aware...can you think of something to add to my list?

Janine said...

I had no idea they hung laundry on bushes! Thanks for the tidbit and pointing out that despite all the chaos, people still made time to make things beautiful.

Lydia said...

Hello Lydia,

You are such a dear to check in with us. Laura, from Harvest Lane Cottage, admonished us to “Be in the Moment” on her last post. I pray you are being in the moment with your family while they visit. It is truly precious time well spent.😊

I am enjoying hanging my clothes outside on the line again. The fresh smell and little bit of starchiness from the sun really makes a difference in the clothing.

I like the painting you posted. Recently, I hosted an art class in my home. My extremely talented daughter- in- love was our instructor. We all completed a 5x 7 canvas masterpiece of wild flowers behind a golden sunset. Even though everyone did the same painting, we could certainly appreciate all the individual creativity in each one.

Blessings to you,
❤️Holly

Unknown said...

Townsends on youtube "Historical Laundry Part 2: No Washing Machine, No Dryer, Hit It With A Stick?"

Scroll to about 10:30 minutes to see the laundress put clean white laundry on the grass to help with bleaching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xenLzd2-Dk

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

Perhaps this is a bit off topic, but it may give you an idea for a future topic for your talks with us.

How can I come up with things to talk about with family members who do not have similar interests? At this point, that would include my adult children as well as my husband. I feel like I've gotten left behind, and if I cannot think of something to engage them, I will lose them into their cell phones. (My husband isn't as bad about that, but it seems we don't have as much to talk about as we used to.)

Do you have any ideas?

Thanks so much for all you do for us.
Laura

Lydia said...

Good subjects to address.