Now all we have to do is throw the dirty clothes into the washing machine. There was the time when the women did their weekly wash at ‘La Lavoir’ an area either fed from a spring or water diverted from a nearby river. They would kneel and do the washing the hard way. It was also a place where news and gossip was exchanged.
Those who where financially better off would employ other women to do their washing and these women were called ‘Les Lavandiéres.’
As you travel through France you are likely to see these in towns and villages, well if you have any dirty washing now’s the time!!
This one was photographed in L’isle-sure-Tarn.
5 comments:
those days seem not too long ago ..
Cool pic and informative too.
In all these years I have been living in France I have never actually seen these Lavoirs. Maybe I should have opened my eyes more.
Check out the May 13th post from the Antigua (Guatemala) DP blog where a similar photo of current "Public laundry washbasins" is shown ... thankfully I remember laundry maps but not washbasins.
Beautiful photo - and nice reminder of the days of old...yet aother way we've lost opportunities for social contact, since now we stay at home with our washer-dryers...
That is a fabulous photo!
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