Title:
Laundry Room
Creator/Contributor:
Hibi, Hisako
Date:
4/26/1945
Identifier:
96.601.15
Format:
painting
oil on canvas
Description:
Framed, stretched canvas. Women in slacks bathing children in long wash basins.
Historical Note:
Daily life in Topaz concentration camp included having to cope with the inadequate laundry and latrine facilities. These
spaces were designed to be completely communal, for example, individual stalls were not even equipped with doors. This resulted
in a lack of privacy and embarassing situations for internees. In addition, there were often long lines to use these facilities.
Hibi herself noted in her writing that the bath tubs seemed to be almost always occupied. As a result, many mothers remedied
the situation by bathing their children in the sinks built for washing laundry. On the back of this painting Hibi wrote,
"We only had four bath tubs. Mothers bathed children in the laundry room." Three women and nine children are depicted in
this painting. As was typical for Hibi, her figures lack specificity and detail. In the background an open doorway reveals
a row of barracks so that the setting is unmistakably that of the concentration camp.
Subject:
Concentration Camps, Topaz | women | children | laundry | bathing