In the days before water was piped into homes and machines could do the hard work, clothes and bed linen had to be washed outside by hand. Doing the laundry was a long and arduous process, and this washing dolly was an early implement to make the task easier.

The design of it is practical: it is made of wood, and has a crossways handle (to manoeuvre the implement) and a set of pegged legs radiating from the base. These legs were used to manipulate the washing in a downward and rotational movement, swirling and twisting it in the water.

These dollies were in widespread use through the 19th and early 20th century, and were gradually replaced by the Dolly Tub, a zinc based alternative that was much lighter and easier to clean.