The Steam Laundry That Would Save Your Clothes (And Your Wallet)
In May 1877, Seattle businessman L.D. Frank announced a bold new venture: a steam-powered laundry on Commercial Street that promised to clean clothes faster and cheaper than the traditional Chinese method—while explicitly excluding Chinese workers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A STEAM LAUNDRY — The want of a Steam Laundry in this city has been felt for long time, and since we first advocated the establishment of one last February, different parties have taken the matter into consideration, and at times the project promised to go ahead, but they finally weakened. Mr. L. D. Frank has now taken hold of it, and the establishment of a steam laundry will soon be accomplished. He has rented, for the purpose, the large building on Commercial Street, formerly known as the Centennial Stone manufactory. He is fitting it up with all the modern improvements, and will run a large shaft from the building. At the Steam & Post manufactory, from which he will obtain most power for running the washer, nigger polishing machine etc. All the arrangements will be completed and the establishment at full blast in six weeks or two months. The proprietor intends to employ white help exclusively, and to do first-class work at the lowest living rates. Our citizens should aid such an enterprise as far as possible by their patronage, and they will find it to their advantage to do so. The system of washing pursued by the Chinese is very destructive to clothes, and for this reason all the steam laundries established in California have been extensively patronized.
This 1877 advertisement reveals how early Seattle’s labor market was structured around racial exclusion under the guise of 'quality' and 'efficiency.' While modern laundries compete on convenience and price, this historical pitch leveraged anti-Chinese sentiment to create a premium market for white-owned businesses, framing Chinese labor as inherently destructive rather than just cheaper. It mirrors later redlining and hiring practices that systematically barred Asian Americans from certain trades in the Pacific Northwest.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.