Women's History Commons^™

Agitated To Clean: How The Washing Machine Changed Life For The American Woman, Cassie Green

McNair Scholars Research Journal

For most historians there exists a minimal understanding of women’s domestic life in the past. This project explores the tools used for washing clothing and provides insight into the lives of the individuals who used them, and how the evolution of these tools changed their way of life. Using a method based on the works of Jules David Prown, an interpretive analysis is being completed for multiple artifacts selected from the Idaho State Historical Society’s collection. The steps of this method include a thorough description of the artifact, making deductions about the artifact based on the description, as well as …