In the Laundry (Primary Title)
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857 - 1903 (Artist)
In the Laundry captures four laundresses surrounded by the various accouterments of their trade. With her back to the viewer, the foreground figure aligns the ruffles of a fancy blue dress. To her left, a second figure relaxes against the windowsill, her head turning as though alerted to our arrival. Behind them, two others work undisturbed. By the end of the 19th century, working-class women could take jobs at send-out laundries serving middle-class households without laundresses on staff. Blum’s picture captures the opportunity the task provided for socializing and sharing news of the day. Indeed, in Catalan, one of the artist’s favorite regions, the term fer sarafeig —to do laundry—was local slang for gossip.
James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin Collection
"American Art from the McGlothlin Collection" Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (1 May - 18 July 2010).
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