A washboard is designed for hand washing clothing soaked in hot, soapy water in a wash tub or sink. The fabric is squeezed and rubbed against the ridged surface of the washboard to force the cleaning fluid through the cloth to carry away dirt. With the invention of mechanised cleaning, which became more common with washing machines by the end of the 20th century, the washboard became redundant. The traditional washboard is constructed with a rectangular wooden frame around a series of ridges or corrugations; for 19th-century washboards, the ridges were often of wood, sometimes glass, and by the 20th century, ridges of metal became common. In 1833, Stephen Rust obtained a United States patent for the first "fluted" metal washboard. Zinc washboards were predominantly manufactured in the United States from the middle of the 19th century.The washboard is a significant item used for cleaning clothes. It is the forerunner of labour-saving mechanical and electrical laundry equipment. It is still in use today in many countries and helps to understand the domestic life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.Washboard: a wooden frame with two legs, around a ribbed clear glass panel. Metal nails join the frame. Screen-printed inscription above the glass. Possum brand."POSSUM"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, washboard, glass washboard, laundry, clothes washing, glass ripples, clothes cleaning, washing, household item, washing equipment, laundering equipment, laundering, possum, possum brand

Linton School Cantata Group trained by Miss Barry for school concert. This is one of several copies of the photograph of Miss Barry's cantata group in the LDHS collection. This copy was in Mrs Stella Surman's collection. Pupils and teachers identified in inscription on reverse of this copy of the photograph: Myrtle Thompson, Mamie Ferguson, Myrtle Bolte, Ruby Barton, Olive Ball, Maisie Wise, Sybil Marks, Annie McMillan, Miss Rankin, Clarice White, Stella Brand, Stella Ralf, Annie Brophy, Alice Willoughby, Miss Barry, Lil Gorman, Pearl Nelson, - Burnside, Vera Cornish, Pauline O'Beirne, Doris Downing, Rita Murrell, Mary Nelson, Millie Todd, Ann Brophy, Elvira Martinez, Jean Cox, Lena Allan, Alex Thompson, Jean Gascoigne, Stella Todd, Lucy Johnstone, Eva Simper, Bernice Ball, Myrtle Hands, Elsie Egan, Possum Dawe.Original black and white photograph of Linton State School Cantata Group, children in costume. Photo mounted on grey board.On back: "S E Surman". Also names of children.linton state school, school concert, miss barry's cantata group, surman collection