Using Different Aprons

You might not have thought of it but your female ancestors actually may have needed several different types of aprons. Different household duties meant different aprons. If she was doing laundry then fixing dinner, a different apron was needed. Those living and working on a farm would need different ones when working with livestock (chickens, etc) vs cleaning the house inside.

So here are a few of the aprons styles and purposes.

There was the Cobbler’s apron with a high neckline and several pockets which was useful hanging laundry or working in a garden.

Then the Pinafore apron that tied in the back at the waist and was pinned to a woman’s dress at the bust line. These were popular in the 1920s and also known a Minute Maid apron.

The Sweetheart Aprons were popular in the 1940s and early 1950s. A very feminine style that almost looked like a dress and covered the full length of her regular dress.

Another very feminine style had ruffles along the edges and gave a nice flair. It was great for the ladies to have something special since they would be wearing the apron most of the day.

Since most ladies made their own aprons, if they did want a special one they added embroidery designs on the apron.

Some aprons had a design with a V-shape pointed down in front. These were known as Handkerchief aprons.

The Easy care aprons are like a full loose blouse you slipped over your clothes or button or used snaps to close in the front.

Not all aprons covered the bust area, some were just half an apron (Half apron) and tied at the waist and over the bottom of the dress. Most of these styles were known as Party aprons or Hostess aprons made with chiffon to be very pretty while serving at a dinner party. These were popular in the late 1950s into the early 1970s.

You might be hard-pressed today to find many ladies or men wearing aprons in the kitchen or any other chore around the house.

Photos: Full apron of 1930s and 1940s; 1940s apron, half apron; apron ruffles of the 1950s and easy apron for the top half.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

Occupational Clothing

Strange Practices of our Ancestors

Overlooked Aspects about our Ancestors

< Return To Blog My husband and I wear aprons when frying food to protect our shirts!

Sara N Martin 15/11/20

Smart. I need a covering for my hands and arms when frying.

alice 15/11/20

Yep,got a few scars. No wonder people were so covered up in the old days! Tougher, too, being that hot.

Sara N Martin 15/11/20