There are currently a number of antique miniature laundry items for sale on KT Miniatures so I thought I would give you a sneaky peek on here! They are mostly in a larger scale so perhaps some would be more suited to the size of a doll rather than a dolls house. These are such wonderful pieces of social history though, and so far removed in comparison to our modern day electric washing machines...that even if you are not interesting in purchasing, I hope you still enjoy taking a look!
Antique Large Scale Wooden Mangle
Here is a very old wooden mangle, believed to be from the late 1800s/early 1900s but to be honest the exact date or origin is unknown.
It measures 5 3/4" high so quite tall and possibly suited to an old large scale dolls house or old dolls house where scale does not matter. If you twist the side handle the rollers actually move. Looking at the side pillars closely, to me they look like they have been made out of two old fashioned dolly pegs - how fabulous is that!
The wooden tub has black, orange and brown scored lines around the exterior, making this quite attractive in appearance.
c1930s Large Scale Metal Mangle
Here is a large scale c1930s metal mangle, it stands at a height of 6" so quite tall. Possibly suited for a large scale dolls house or an old dolls house where scale does not matter. There is no makers mark as far as I can see.
The mangle comes in the original green painted exterior finish with a red painted side handle. The wooden rollers move when the handle is rotated.
Judging by the wear and a little rust, particularly on the shelf directly underneath the rollers, it looks like the young previous owner(s) have had great fun washing their little dolly clothes! I can remember in the early 1960s my grandma having her much loved old real life size mangle (just like this) standing out in her back garden. By then she had a top loader washing machine so the mangle had finally become surplus to requirements, but she just couldn't bring herself to get rid of it.
Rare c1934 Doll Size Dixon Bros. & Wood Ltd. Cabinet Mangle
This is really more suitable for a doll rather than a dolls house, as it is quite large and chunky. Rarely do these Dixon Bros. & Wood Ltd. pieces come along these days.
To erect the mangle, simply remove the lid, pull the front flap down and pull up the mangle gently into place.
The handle at the side when turned, rotates the wooden rollers. As with all the other mangles above, this has clearly been played with and what fun the little owner(s) must have had! When fully erected it measures 7 3/8" high.
On the front the embossed Dixon Bros. & Wood Ltd. logo can clearly be seen.
There is a black and white image of this cabinet mangle on page 61 of Marion Osborne's A-Z 1914 to 1941 Dolls Houses Book (now out of print). It is shown as part of a 1934 Dixon Bros & Wood Ltd. advert in "Games & Toys", alongside other kitchen furniture and appliances.
Antique Miniature Washboard
Here is an antique wooden washboard with a crinkled metal insert. It is large in size so probably far more suitable for a doll than a dolls house unless you have a large scale dolls house, as it measures 4 3/4" high.
It is quite crude in its construction but quite effective. It came with the wooden mangle at the top of this page so am assuming it is of the same era.
All of these items are currently available at the time of writing this post and can be seen on the following page:
