aprons

APRONS
A history lesson
In the beginning, Adam and Eve wore aprons of sorts. According to Genesis 3:11: "Adam sewed fig leaves together and made them aprons."
By the Middle Ages -- when eating was messy and clothes were hard to wash -- aprons were de rigueur.
With the Industrial Revolution, workmen -- blacksmiths, carpenters, masons and fishermen -- wore aprons to carry the tools of their trade. Cooks, maids, nannies, nurses and farm wives wore aprons, too.
Slaves used colorful patchwork aprons that often told a story. These aprons are considered highly collectible today, according to www.vintageretroaprons.com.
By the 1900s, aprons were becoming less utilitarian and more decorative. Some women began to wear half aprons in the 1920s. But in the '30s, the style was again utilitarian. One style was called a "Hooverette." A full coverup, it hung loosely over the body and protected most of the clothing worn beneath it.
During World War II, women wore aprons for work in factories, a la Rosie the Riveter. When the war ended and women were forced back into the home, aprons became the uniform of the professional homemaker. The idea of an apron wardrobe was born.
"The '40s and '50s were the heyday of the apron. There was optimism and hopefulness. Women started having fun with aprons," says Pat Vining, an amateur historian and apron enthusiast.