Travel laundry set

Object/Artifact

-

BLUE: The TATTER Textile Library

Name/Title

Travel laundry set

Entry/Object ID

2025.3.2

Description

Small green velvet envelope-style travel laundry set. Consists of tri-folded velvet with lining of green silk. Front flap closes with a button. One interior pocket and a strip of green silk make up the interior structure. Silk strip holds 6 wooden clothespins, a large glass head pushpin (missing one pin), and a bundle of twine. Handwritten letter in interior pocket reads: "When on your journeys to and fro, You wish to wash a guimpe or so, Here you will find bothe pins and line, Ready to help you any time."

Use

Used to carry all things needed for laundry while traveling.

Context

Laundry kits were not uncommon in the early 20th century, when undergarments like shirt shields and chemises were worn.

Category

Tools

Acquisition

Accession

2025.3

Made/Created

Time Period

20th Century

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Continent

Europe, North America

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Attached Note

Location

On a card slipped into interior pocket

Transcription

When on your journeys to and fro, you wish to wash a guimpe or so, Here you will find both pins and line, Ready to help you any time.

Language

English

Material/Technique

Inscribed

Lexicon

Search Terms

clothes pins, laundry

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Measurements when closed

Height

3 in

Width

1/2 in

Length

4-1/4 in

Dimension Description

Dimensions when opened

Height

8 in

Length

4 in

Parts

Count

10

Parts

Envelope, note, six clothespins, twine, pin.

Material

Velvet, Silk, Wood, Twine, Glass, Metal, Paper

Color

Green, Silver

Web Links and URLs

"In Search of Domestic Art" by Sarah Byrd, May 2025