Ada’s Washing Line

Installation of made and found garments, 70-200 cm (variable), Private Collection

Do your pinafores do you alright? 

A lot of Ada’s letters talk about how onerous she found doing the Lightfoot family’s laundry. The family would not have had hot water on tap, so the water needed to do the laundry would have been heated up in a pan on the fire or in a copper boiler in an outbuilding. The clothes would have been washed and scrubbed by hand in a washtub (which would have been outside), and then put through a mangle to remove the water. It was arduous work.

This installation pays homage to Ada’s domestic labor as a mother, and that of many millions of other women in her situation.

Cottage Pinafore This garment was made from a vintage cotton sheet using a design I discovered in an old pattern-cutting book. Girls were taught to sew and knit simple garments at school, and women and children would wear pinafores to keep their clothes clean.

Barrow Coat The barrow coat is a garment usually made from wool and was wrapped around babies to keep them warm. I made this garment from boiled wool using a vintage pattern. I have embroidered lines from Ada’s letters that recount her having to buy clothes for her two younger daughters.  

Baby’s Gown Altered vintage baby’s gown