Clean and musical

Before washing machines became commonplace, people used to wash their laundry with a washboard. The legs of the board were put w in the water, after which the item of clothing was placed over these ribs, and scrubbed clean with a brush and some soap. Washboards were used all over the world, as we know from old paintings, from Italy to Japan. In some countries, it is still commonly used, like in Southeast Asia, and always with the legs down. Still, it is not that weird that our washboard has been photographed standing upside down.

In the 19th century in the southern part of the USA , enslaved people would sing songs to make their labor more endurable and to communicate with each other. Between 1860 and 1900, a lot of different music genres originated from this practice, such as blues and jazz. The musicians had no money for expensive instruments, so where possible, they used everyday objects that could be found in any household.

The washboard was the perfect percussion instrument. Take another look at these ribs. If you run something hard over them, they will make a rattling noise. That’s why percussionists wore metal thimbles (finger caps). They would carry the board vertically on their torso, sometimes upside down, so they could attach a string to its legs and hang it around their neck. It’s also possible to lay it in your lap horizontally or place it on the ground in between your legs. Hanging it around the neck, whether with the legs up or down, was the most practical: that made it possible to to walk around with. Sometimes the washboards were adorned with all kinds of extras: cowbells, hollow woodblocks, little cymbals. The artists had telling names: Washboard Chaz or Washboard Sam. Nowadays, the washboard is better known as an instrument than as a household appliance. In its function as a musical instrument, the legs sometimes face upwards. Is the fact that this washboard is photographed standing upside down an error or a conscious (albeit not that straightforward) choice by the photographer? We will never know.