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By
Cheryl Miller Slipping on Mother’s old apron is like getting a big hug from her.
Aprons tell a story of women’s lives and roles, since they were almost exclusively handmade, and then worn by women in their homes every day. It was not uncommon to find an apron drawer in a kitchen filled with styles for everyday use, along with various holiday themes. Growing up in Batavia, Illinois, I have cherished memories of my (blind) grandmother in her constantly worn blue and gray apron. Some of my most treasured family memories are tied up in my Grandma Hermes’ apron strings. It was paper thin but sturdy and highly serviceable. She used it to gather items scattered about the house, dry tiny wet hands, and brush crumbs away from the oil cloth table covering. Droopy pockets stilled grandma’s constantly moving and probing hands as she felt her way around her home. Aprons not only offered protection from the spatters, sprinkles, and drips that occurred in every busy kitchen, but they were handy for wiping spills, holding handkerchiefs and unattached buttons, and for simply carrying everything! Often, the woman of the household would wear one apron for preparing food in the kitchen, then change into a crisp, clean one to sit down to dinner with her family. The nicest aprons were rarely soiled because they wouldn’t have been worn while actually preparing the food. Apron styles continued to unfold in the 19th century. The allover apron was recommended for when a woman wanted to work while wearing her good clothes. It was seamless with armholes that fit loosely over a woman’s dress and tied in the back at her waist and neck. Along the same line, fashionable tea aprons were used for entertaining, walking in the garden or picnicking. By the late 19th century, pinafore aprons were popular, especially for young girls (Alice in Wonderland among them). Little girls wore pinafore aprons over their everyday dresses. In the 1940s, the pinafore apron evolved into a cool, summer dress worn by little girls. During WWI, women helped with the war effort and their cotton aprons were traded for heavier aprons to work in the factories. One of the last aprons to debut originated during WWI when Herbert Hoover was food administrator. The Hoover apron was a functional wraparound dress with two half-fronts attached by a sash that went through a slot at each side seam and tied in the back. During the depression, when fancy fabrics were in short supply, ladies embellished simple aprons with embroidery. Women wore half aprons but leaned towards the full aprons that hung loosely like the fashion of the day without a waist.
After the war, fabrics like polyester and rayon were introduced. These new fabric choices offered more colors and designs than ever and required little or no ironing to look fresh and crisp. In addition, aprons, like handkerchiefs, became popular gift items. Following the doldrums of war, colors exploded in the 1940s and 1950s, and brightly colored checked aprons became a vivid part of the pattern of home and family life. Gingham was the most common fabric used to create aprons, and they were often embellished with cross-stitch embroidery or, occasionally, with other trim such as rickrack. During this era, aprons became quite a fashion statement; and every housewife, it seemed, owned several hand-sewn and hand-embroidered aprons with a multitude of embellishments. All sorts of decorated aprons were a must-have for the June Cleaver-like hostesses of the 1950s. By the 1960s, it appeared that the times were changing. Remember the Indian madras pattern? It became popular and showed up in aprons. Then the 1970s emerged with new colors including avocado, turquoise, and pink. During this time, men of the home were donning aprons with cute sayings for barbecuing. For women, the cocktail apron made an appearance. That outdoor grilling is a manly pursuit has long been beyond question. If this wasn’t firmly understood, you’d never get grown men to put on those aprons with pictures of dancing wienies and things on the
front.
In the 1980s, aprons became passé. Women started working outside of the home and families were dining out more often. Clothing became more casual and easily washable, so there was no need to use an apron to cover it up and protect it. Today, aprons are becoming more and more collectible. With so many different aprons being used during the 1950s, it’s much easier to find ones from this era. Fabrics made at the turn of the century have deteriorated with time and were eventually turned into dust rags. For many enthusiastic collectors, aprons are a charming way to stay connected and tied to our past. Suggested reading: Aprons: Icons of the American Home by Joyce Cheney (Running Press, Philadelphia ($24.95). Source for both illustrations - Woman’s Home Companion, November 1928 |
Send mail to
cheryl@croppingcooks.com with any
questions or comments about this web site.
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The WWII
years found homemakers again faced with short supplies and war rations. Women
were asked to make do with little to help support the war effort.