Collecting Vintage Aprons

In the 1940s and 1950s, homemakers kept a veritable wardrobe of aprons at their disposal:  some for housekeeping, some for cooking, and some for entertaining.  Aprons may be seen as artifacts of domestic drudgery, but they have become prized collectibles and the subject of a museum exhibit; on any given day, hundreds of vintage aprons and apron patterns are offered for sale on eBay.

Every vintage apron has a story to tell.  There are simple, full-bodied aprons for everyday cleanup.  There are long aprons typically worn by French waiters.  There are nostalgic practical aprons with pockets.   There are entertaining aprons made of crisp, absorbent linen.  There are aprons to practice one’s dressmaking skills.  They come in every style of stitch and fabric imaginable and their patina and familiarity attest of hard work and a job well done.  Apron was a symbol of pride in a woman’s handiwork and her domestic role.  And best of all, many aprons sell for less than $5.