Sleeve ironing board of the type used in Łódź Ghetto

The ironing board was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990. 

Sleeve ironing board of the type used in Łódź Ghetto 

overall: Height: 9.000 inches (22.86 cm) | Width: 23.500 inches (59.69 cm) | Depth: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm) 

Sleeve ironing board or pressing ham, of the type used by Jewish forced laborers in the Łódź Ghetto in German-occupied Poland from May 1940 to summer 1944. Sleeve ironing boards and pressing hams were used for shirtsleeves and curved seams to prevent the creation of sharp creases. Łódź was occupied by Germany a week after the September 1939 invasion of Poland. It was renamed Litzmannstadt, and in February 1940, the Jewish population of about 160,000 people was confined to a small, sealed-off ghetto. All residents had to work, and 85 percent of the ghetto population labored in nearly 100 factories. The major ones produced textiles, including uniforms for the German Army. Occupying authorities seized much of the specialized machinery from the Jewish population, forcing them to use hand techniques for production. Due to severe overcrowding and scarce food, disease and starvation were common. The Judenrat (Jewish Council) administered the ghetto for the Germans, and chairman Mordechai Rumkowski thought hard work and high output would preserve the ghetto. However, in January 1942, mass deportations to Chelmno killing center began; half the residents were murdered by the end of the year. In summer 1944, Łódź, the last ghetto in Poland, was destroyed and the remaining Jews were sent to Chelmno and Auschwitz-Birkenau killing centers. 

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Short, padded ironing board on a rectangular, light brown base. The base is made from a wood board with rounded corners, smooth finished sides, and a raw back edge, which appears to be chipped. Mounted to the base is a rectangular block of wood, on top of which is a light brown wood form, covered by the padded ironing surface. The padded top is rounded, wide on the back end, and narrows as it runs parallel to the base, extending beyond it by approximately four inches. The top is covered in a tan, coarse burlap with a white twill tape tacked along the bottom edge with small, metal finishing nails. The padded portion has some discoloration on the top near the front, and the front end of the wood base has some blackish discoloration.