Hard Wash

This scene of an African-American woman vigorously scrubbing a black baby was immensely popular with early audiences, and was featured on Biograph’s programs in London and Paris, as well as various locations in the U.S. Edison’s almost identical version, A Morning Bath, was made a few weeks after this was first shown.

• Early Cinema
• African-American Life
• Domestic Scene
• Historical Snapshot
• Simple Narrative
• Wholesome Content
• Early Film Technology
• Social Observation