The Housemaid in Christchurch, Ipswich

myminifactory

In 1892 Woolner was hard at work on "The Housemaid," a life-sized sculpture of a servant girl wringing out the cloth she uses to wash the doorstep - a common sight seen every morning in London's streets. The Sculptor had long wanted to create this subject, having noticed that the servant girls in their simple print dresses and caps were, in his opinion, the most elegantly dressed women in London on weekdays, but unfortunately the worst dressed on Sundays! He completed the clay model just a few weeks before his final illness. After his passing, the model was cast in bronze in time for the 1893 Royal Academy Exhibition, where it received little attention as it was placed in a poor position that made it hard to view from all sides. As a result, Woolner's last work has been largely overlooked by the British public, overshadowed by a massive display of ferns and flowers. This sculpture is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe for everyone's free access. "Scan The World" is an open-source community effort - if you have interesting items nearby and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can help out!