Images(7)

Apron

Date1720-1740

OriginEngland

MediumCream ribbed silk embroidered with silk satin stitches worked over paper.

Dimensions20 1/2" X 40"

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Cora Ginsburg

Object number1991-503

DescriptionWoman's short scalloped apron of silk needlework on off-white ribbed silk ground. Design consists of scrolling cornucopia in each lower corner from which flowers grow over the surface of the apron, with two vertical pockets edged in needlework. Embroidered primarily with satin stitches worked over heavy paper, using blues and lavenders with some cream, green and yellow. Unmade; waistband missing.
Label TextStitched in Time:
The early decades of the 18th century saw a fad for short silk aprons among upper class women. These were not intended for cleaning hands or protecting other garments; instead, they were a fashionable accessory worn to display a woman's status and role as a household manager. Surviving examples include detailed floral imagery (particularly around the pocket slits), scalloped edges, metallic thread, and spangles. These details would have communicated the wealth of the wearer.

Silk aprons may have been worked by the wearer or purchased ready-made from a milliner or merchant. In August 1731, John Inglis offered "embroidered silk aprons" alongside stockings, fans, and porcelain dishware from a store on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
ProvenanceCora Ginsburg (Tarrytown, NY); 1991, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)