Liberated Household: A Guide to Services

Osvobozená domácnost – informátor služeb [Liberated Household: A Guide to Services]. Praha: Chemické čistírny, prádelny a barevny, podnik hl. m. Prahy, n.d. [c. 1960s–70s]. A rare and unique promotional booklet for Osvobozená domácnost (“Liberated Household”), a state-run enterprise founded in 1946 on the collectivization principles of the 1930s and intended to free women from domestic duties so that they could contribute more fully to state production. For forty years the enterprise gradually expanded its offerings from basic laundry to sewing, ironing, painting, window washing, and carpet cleaning. Most larger towns maintained branches, though the dream of services becoming free-of-charge in the ideal communist society never materialized. Instead, rates were often prohibitively high for the average family, and women continued to shoulder both their state employment and household labor. For most households, the service was reserved for special occasions. Far from becoming a symbol of feminist pride, Osvobozená domácnost was often ridiculed for its poor workmanship and notorious habit of losing or mixing up laundry. The present pamphlet provides a guide to available services and locations in Prague, complete with descriptions of chemical cleaning and dyeing. 30, [1] pp. 20 × 14.5 cm. Original pictorial wrappers printed in black, orange, and blue. Text in Czech. Condition: Very Good; light toning to paper, wrappers fresh, interior clean. INV BX1