Our exhibit, Making Connecticut, showcases over 500 objects, images, and documents from the CHS collection. “What is this?” posts will highlight an object from the exhibit and explore its importance in Connecticut history every other week. What is this object? What is the story behind it? To find out more,
Baby-washing, Brown School playground, Hartford, about 1910, x1991.10.1
I think this is one of the most adorable objects in Making Connecticut. The photograph was taken at Brown School, which used to be located at the corner of Market and Tolcott Streets in downtown Hartford. The school held over 1,800 students. We don’t know much about this photograph except that it’s titled “Baby-washing”. It appears that the school taught it’s female students how to properly wash young children as both an educational program and public service. The facial expressions—serious, mischievous, bored—on both the boys and the girls are timeless.
Mike Messina is the Interpretive Projects Associate at the Connecticut Historical Society.
inside the CHS 
Adorable picture! All I can think of is the saying “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” !!!
So cute! Speaking from the experience of a mother of a four year old who hated baths for the first year of his life, I can understand every one of their looks 🙂
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