My mother tells me many people don’t use clothes lines or washing lines any more. They use tumble driers, instead. They must have big electricity bills. What better way to dry your washing that using good old fashioned solar power? In the early modern period people just laid their clothes out on bushes to dry. The word “clothesline” wasn’t used until the 1830s. Presumably, increasing urbanisation meant that things like bushes or even rocks were no longer available to dry clothes on!
Good Drying Weather
24x30cm oil on linen canvas
Definitely a washing line girl myself Emma!
HaHa!Me too. I have always thought rotary lines as being quite exotic. They don’t take up much room. Invented in Australia, apparently.
Yes I have one of those, though it’s a little wobbly! Didn’t know it had Aussie origins 🙂
I see clotheslines only occasionally in my suburban region. My neighbor next store uses one.
Solar and wind power are the ways to go!
Real nice painting.
Take care—
Neil S.
We usually have plenty of wind here in Wales, sun is less easy to come by. Thank you for your comments, Neil.
My mother always used a clothesline till she couldn’t anymore. In California, it was used all year round. Unlike her, I was an “as soon as I can get my hands on a dryer” adopter. Then when I moved to a cold climate, it was either the dryer or clotheslines in the basement. The dryer won before the competition was even announced. Ah, modern life…
California must be an ideal place for a washing line – all that sunshine. Mind you, there is the hassle of pegging the clothes out. I will only use wood pegs. I hate plastic ones.
The rotary line was being used in 1860s in Australia and in 1911 Gilbert Toyne, a blacksmith, wheelwright and farrier, too out a patent on 4 rotary designs. He went onto market these designs himself.
Solar in summer ( hah! When we have one in Swansea) and radiators when it’s raining. Stops the air in the house getting too dry.
That’s pretty much what I do too! There’s also wind but its no good if its raining.
Dried two machine loads on the radiator yesterday 😁
Either you have a small washing machine or some good double radiators around your house! I only ever manage one load at a time.
The house is surprisingly warm and I have a couple of clothes horses as well, one for over the bath. Mind you, my house looks like a laundry most of the time lol
Lol! I used to have a clothes horse, I don’t know what happened to it, now you mention one!!
My mother in law gave us her one for over the bath, brilliant. Does tons of underwear then folds away. It’s easy to forget these old household things when we’re surrounded by modern equivalents like tumble dryers. I bought an old mangle recently but that’s to convert into a printing press.
I knew it – a pasta machine doesn’t make pasta in your house, either (lol)!
Ps congratulations on getting into the Swansea Open. Are you going on Saturday?
Thanks Rosie – yes, we are going along. I am really looking forward to see all the different art by Swansea-based artists. Are you?