On October 26, 1858 a certain machine was invented by Hamilton Smith that would greatly decrease the time and labor needed for a common household chore. Washing machine for doing laundry have certainly evolved since Smith’s invention. In honor of today, Jared printed an image of a 130 year old washing machine. The electrotype (copy of a woodcut) is from the Lewis Winter Collection. While this is not an 1850s washing machine, what is depicted in the print, from the late 1880s, would have been use

The Evolution of Washing Machines 🧺 | From Washboards to Maytag! Ever wondered how folks did laundry before electricity? 🪣 We’re taking you back through time to explore the evolution of the washing machine from the ribbed washboard and bucket days, to hand-cranked agitators, and eventually to engine-powered machines that changed household life forever. Early innovators even used ammonia as a fabric softener, keeping clothes “smooth as a baby’s bottom,” before companies like Maytag and General