Clean Up Yer Mess
Posted by Rob Ketcherside in Across The CommonsThis is not a reprimand for sloppy tagging, but rather a careful collection of photos that reminds us that cleanliness is next to godliness, and has been for a considerable time now.
| Not all library work is glamorous. In this scene, one man operates the flowbee, another risks his lower back by lifting heavy books, and a third scolds them for sloppy work. |  New York Public Library |
| Here are two more gentlemen in danger of throwing their backs out. One’s pumping water, the other’s scrubbin’ on the washboard. I think we got enough water there, Pappy. |  Nationaal Archief |
| This woman, not subject to stubbornness of men, uses her Green Machine to get at those deep-down stains. |  Library of Congress |
| These men, subject to stubbornness of sheep, spend some time washing freshly shorn wool. |  Powerhouse Museum |
| Here, Magnus Butler demos his street cleaner to the city officials in New York. It’s odd, but it looks like the cleaner dumps the dirt right out the back, giving the street a refreshing, even layer of dust. |  Library of Congress |
| New York City might be dirty, but Richmond, Virginia, is so clean that even the garbage cart is spotless. |  Library of Virginia |
| Finally, here’s Frank Hurley washing cinematograph film over the side of a ship. Must be some dirty pictures! |  State Library of New South Wales |
No photographs were injured in the cleaning of this collection.
Tags: Library of Congress, Library of Virginia, Nationaal Archief, New York Public Library, Powerhouse Museum, State Library of New South Wales