Yard of tenement, NYC. A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points, outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the line to dry, using clothes pegs or clothespins. Washing lines are attached either from a post or a wall, and are frequently located in back gardens, or on balconies. Detroit Photographic Company, circa 1900-10 (cropped and cleaned).