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19th century clothing, apron, authenticity, checks, Clothing, common dress, common people, Costume, dress, fashion, Federal New England Fashion, New England, Newport, Rhode Island, Rhode Island history, sewing, style
Not that this is an exhaustive or final chronicle, but Jackie asked about the apron.
Spring Cleaning, 2012
I first encountered this form of apron at Old Sturbridge Village, on display in the Firearms and Textiles exhibit space, which I think of as “Muskets and Muslins.” The accession number given on the exhibit label was 26.39.4, but the object does not appear in the OSV online collections database (they do warn that it contains just a selection of their total 60K-plus object holdings). The original at OSV, as sketched and described by me in April 2012 has a drawstring at the neck, straps that button, string at the back opening, and is slim, without gathers. That means the bodice is very similar to the gown bodices of the early part of the 19th century.
Smock, 2000.01.869 PVMA
There is another original checked bodiced apron in the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association collection in Deerfield, MA. This original appears in color in The Needle’s Eye by Marla Miller. As you can see in the images of my apron, I mashed the two styles together to suit the amount of material I had on hand, the skills I had three years ago, and the amount of time I had between seeing the apron and the day of the program, which was probably two days during which time I had pleurisy.*
This is also wrong, but funny.
To refocus: I chose to wear this apron at Whitehorse House in 1820 for a really wrong reason: it was what I had.
Prints in the British Museum show a maid in a yellow gown with a black apron, no bib; there is another, with a maid in a green gown, in a wikigallery, that I could not fully track down; a London Market scene; and a French print from 1818 that does show a bibbed black apron on a shop assistant. The visual research I’d done for the 1820 program suggested that black aprons were the height of fashion, and that they did not always have bibs.
Papering the Saloon at Tickford Hall, watercolor by Diana Sperling, 1816.
Since we deal in confessions here, I will tell you that I did buy material for a black apron, and I planned to make a strapped or bibbed one, much like the one Sabine made. The appearance of the dark apron in Diana Sperliing’s watercolor of the ladies papering the saloon at Tickford Park put the dark strapped and sometimes bibbed apron the in English-speaking world. And still I did not manage to make one. If I were to do an 1820 program again, or even an 1813 or later millinery shop again, I like to think I would find the time to make a black strapped and possibly bibbed apron. I do think they were the height of fashion, and are likely to have been worn by women in shops, and by maids.
Do I think the checked apron is wrong? Given that I can rationalize anything, of course not! I think a checked apron is probably reasonably appropriate within the context of a kitchen, even in 1820, especially in New England. Since we did not cook on Saturday, the black apron would have been ideal, but I think the checked apron passes. To make it pass with a higher grade, I will freely admit it requires button and tape upgrades. Since the next dates on the horizon are 1775 and 1780, chances are good those upgrades won’t happen anytime soon. * Do not attend an all-day outdoor event in the cold when you are not well. Do not attend said event without your cloak, or in stays you have laced up a little too firmly. Do not deny that the cold you have might actually be the start of something bigger, when it includes a productive cough. Lo, the lessons of living history are many.
Kitty Calash 
Oooh! Excellent views of aprons! I have a sudden case of apron inferiority. Must make a bib for mine! Or at least straps. Right after I complete son’s capote, new stays, a winter petticoat, and some sort of cloak or coat…
I know of, and have seen, these sorta “cover-all” aprons at Old Sturbridge Village. And then they began to ‘import’ the style from there en masse to Conner Prairie (where I used to work…only much earlier). And yet, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any documentation for them, whether images or on a list or whatever. And they’re not quite the same as the one you’re wearing here…or the ladies in the drawing (too short). The only other one I’ve seen is in the Emma Thompson-penned version of “Sense & Sensibility.” Eleanor is often seen wearing something very similar (to yours). Even so, I’m still not convinced!
carolina
http://www.historiccookery.com
Carolina, do you dispute the dating/provenance of the “smock” in the Pocumtuck collection, or are you simply noting that you haven’t seen additional examples with good documentation?
I do understand that there is a range of expectations for documentation in the community, and I want to understand more about that spectrum. Clearly there is at least one extant example of a “cover-all” apron. So: 1) Do we accept that the information on the piece is correct?, 2) Is there any evidence that this piece is either an extreme anomaly or a typical example?, 3) What if I manage to find exceptionally good documentation of such aprons, but they’re all in New England, and I can’t find a lick of evidence in my own home state?
I’m struggling to find what would be “typical” in a place with far fewer documents and artifacts than available in New England. And trying to solve the practical problem of not being able to keep my apron (with no bib or straps) where it should be on a dress with a high waistline. I can’t document that the pins I use to hold it up are appropriate, either…
Jackie, I always like Anna Maria Von Phul for where you are. I think the problem is likely that she’s too late for you, is that right? Here’s a Creole woman in 1818 wearing a bibbed apron. http://collections.mohistory.org/resource/215923.html The MHS database seems a little wonky today, but this one always sticks in my memory.
Oh, yes, Von Phul is the absolute queen for me! The database can be challenging, but always rewarding. We can stretch a bit–1800 up to about 1820ish, so she’s within range. I discovered that there is a set of Von Phul images hung in the “lounge” area of the ladies restroom of the St. Louis Club. I regret resisting the temptation to photograph them with my phone, but it would have been hard to explain to my hostess…
That image is a good clear view of a bibbed apron, and has had a lot of public play recently associated with an exhibition. So how does this fall within that “spectrum” of documentation? The construction detail is not clear, nor is it possible to determine fabric. I don’t know of a similar garment in the MHS collection (and I suppose one could argue that an item in the collection may not have been made or worn here). While I find this image “good enough” evidence that I can put a bib on my apron, it would seem many living history devotees would not accept this as sufficient documentation.
Perhaps it’s all too precious a discussion, but I feel I’ll eventually have to articulate where I stand along that line of proof. I want to banish crocheted acrylic shawls. Somewhere down the line, someone will want to banish my apron.
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