Images(2)

Apron

Date1770-1785

OriginEurope, France (probably)

MediumCotton, block-printed.

DimensionsOL. 41"; skirt 72" wide (2 fabric widths).

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1952-67

DescriptionApron of printed floral pattern cotton. Bib, wide at top and tapered to point below waistline. Full gathered skirt, attached stomacher-fashion at center front, with linen binding and tie-strings. Bib was pinned into place when worn.

Construction History:

1. 1770-1785: Initial construction
2. December 22, 1953: Cleaning, repairing, restoring by Ernest LoNano for Margaret Hunter Shop.
Label TextApron
France, 1770-1785
Cotton, block printed, with the addition of pencil blue; linen sewing threads
1952-67
The block printed fabric of this apron is of medium quality, and would have been affordable by women of the middling sorts. Aprons were not just for cleanliness and protection while working. Many eighteenth-century aprons were fashionable accessories, made of fine cotton or silk and decorated with needlework or printing. Because of its washable but decorative fabric, this apron probably was both accessory and protection. The bib was pinned in place to the wearer's gown using straight pins, as safety pins were not invented until the nineteenth century.
ProvenanceEx. Coll. of Mrs. Dewitt Clinton Cohen, New York.