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Laundry, Holborn Union Workhouse, Mitcham
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Laundry, Holborn Union Workhouse, Mitcham
Female inmates at work in the laundry at the Holborn Union workhouse, Mitcham, Surrey. Some women are using flat irons. Clean washing is piled on a table. A large press stands at the rear
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Media ID 4464873
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10416091
1896 Clean Conditions Elderly Employment Flat Holborn Homeless Homelessness Inmate Inmates Iron Ironing Irons Laundry Linen Manual Mitcham Pile Poverty Press Skill Skills Surrey Uniformed Uniforms Washin G Workhouse Workhouses Youth
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures a moment in time at the Holborn Union Workhouse in Mitcham, Surrey, during the late 19th century. The image shows a group of women, mostly young and some elderly, diligently working in the laundry room. Their uniformed attire identifies them as inmates of the workhouse, a place of last resort for the homeless, the destitute, and the poor. The women are engaged in various tasks related to washing and ironing, skills that were essential for maintaining cleanliness and respectability in Victorian society. Some women are using flat irons to press the freshly laundered linen, while others are sorting and piling up the clean washing on a table. A large press stands at the rear of the room, ready to store the ironed linens. The conditions in the workhouse were harsh, and the inmates were expected to work long hours in order to earn their keep. The laundry room provided an opportunity for the women to learn valuable skills that could be used to secure employment once they left the workhouse. The image underscores the importance of manual labor and the resilience of women in the face of poverty and hardship. The photograph, taken in 1896, offers a glimpse into the past and provides a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by those who were forced to seek shelter and sustenance in a workhouse during the 1890s. The women in the image, despite their age and circumstances, are a testament to the human spirit and the enduring capacity for hope and perseverance.
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