Figure 1.--We are not sure when this snpshot was taken. All the white clothing (hairbows, dresses, stockings,nd white shirts) suggests the early-19th century. The flat caps and knickers means that it was provably taken in the 1910s. but the early-20s is possible.

Laundry began to change in the early-20th century. Both washing machines and modern laundry detergents were not yet available in the early-20th century. We do not yet have modern detergents, but World War I (1914-18) would lead to major advances in chemistry that would lead to practical changes in consumer products during the Inter-War era. The electrial washing machine appeared in the early-20th century. The Thor was the first electric-powered washing machine. It was introduced by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois (1908). They did not become common, however, until the Inter-War era. All this meant that major changes were coming, but not yet a major factor in 1the 1900s and 10s. This means that white was still very common in children's clothing. Without modern detergents, bleach was commonly used by mothers. This meant that colored shirts and dresses tended fade after repeated washings. This we still see a lot of white shirts and tunics for the boys and white dresses for the girls in the 1900 and 10s. This continued to change after World War in the the 1920s, especially after the beginning of the decade. This does not help differentiate 1900s and 1910s images, but it does help to differentiate early-20th century images from those taken in the inter-War era.

Created: 7:39 AM 4/7/2017
Last updated: 7:39 AM 4/7/2017