Comments on: Laundry, one of the unsung wonders of Venice

By: Erla

Erla — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:46:51 +0000

I’ve given a lot of thought as to why, or to what degree, or whether at all, the arrangement of laundry should carry any significance. Best I can come up with is that your approach to laundry would be an early warning sign of your approach to many other things, some of which might in fact be important. Also, I believe most women carry around under a cloud (small, or even tiny, one hopes) of self-doubt, so measuring yourself against others is apparently irresistible. Last, competition, if we want to call it that, can be a very useful and constructive impulse, if you don’t let it get out of hand. And domestic prowess is no less worthy than any other sort. In my view. Just don’t give me any marks on my dusting, though, because I actually don’t care!

By: Christa

Christa — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:51:28 +0000

I had a Mennonite friend who told me that they and the Amish had a similar pecking order based on laundry. It seems contary to their vaunted humility but… the first to finish early in the morning, with the whitest clothes and arranged in the “best” order was somehow the more virtuous than the others! Oy! People will find ways to compete no matter what. (small sigh)

By: erla

erla — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:23:10 +0000

I love the colors and textures too, as you could tell. I can only hope I didn’t look like a tourist when I made those pictures — I wonder if I should carry a few clothespins around with me just to show I’m one of the sisterhood?

By: Gary Beck

Gary Beck — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:34:09 +0000

I confess to taking photos of laundry, although not in Venice. Why? I like the texture of the fabrics contrasted with the texture of the buildings, and often the colors. Some places, like Cinque Terre, you can’t avoid getting laundry, as it seems like half the town is always doing laundry. Although I don’t have as many laundry photos as you do in this one article!

-gbeck