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March 1940. "Ironing room at FSA migratory labor camp at Sinton, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
This was about a half dozen years too late to be Momma Joad and Rose of Sharon, and anyway, they took a different route, but it is reminiscent of that era. These irons are electric also which made a big difference in the time-consuming drudgery of stove-heated ironing.
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