In their heyday, washboards were instruments of laundry day drudgery. Today they're more likely to be instruments of good clean fun, as Conor Knighton now tells us: For serious players of the ...

“A few words about washing,” the Lewes newspaper, Breakwater Light, commented in 1873, “Put your clothes in a good suds the day before washing, in the morning wash out of the water, warming it by the ...

LOGAN — The last washboard manufacturer in the United States has proven as tenacious as ring-around-the-collar. The Columbus Washboard Co. probably shouldn’t have made it into the 21st century. The ...

The 19th century in the U.S. was a time of invention. Victorians loved gadgets and specialty tools. There were hundreds of patents granted for apple peelers, lighting devices, corkscrews, fruit jars, ...

The 19th century in the U.S. was a time of invention. The patent office at first required a working model of an invention, but later, just accurate drawings and details were enough. Victorians loved ...

Your support goes further this holiday season. When you buy an annual membership or give a one-time contribution, we’ll give a membership to someone who can’t afford access. It’s a simple way for you ...