Apron
PeriodCirca 1850 - 1860
Place MadeFreehold, New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSilk, silk and cotton cording, silk tassels
Dimensions24 × 26 in. (61 × 66 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Lydia Reid Parker, 1955
Object number2022.500
DescriptionA woman's decorative apron, constructed of brightly colored plaid silk in tones of pink, blue, green, black, and cream, with a wide border of striped silk along left and right sides and along bottom edge. The panel is gathered along the top, with a heavy sapphire blue silk and cotton braided cord sewn along the top edge, ending in long waist ties with tassels. Two small gathered pockets are sewn to the apron front, with ruffled top edges decorated with blue silk ribbons.Curatorial RemarksThis bold silk apron was for show, not work. Decorative aprons were a popular accessory throughout much of the 18th and well into the 19th centuries. This garment would have been worn over a good dress, often when close friends visited for refreshments. Mary Reid Parker included a number of decorative details in her apron, including the small ruffled pockets trimmed with silk ribbon, the bold striped borders, and the rich blue corded ties and tassels.NotesThis bright plaid silk apron was worn and most likely made by Mary E.Reid Parker. A lifelong Freehold resident, Mary was born in 1838 to James A. and Cornelia Anne Bowne Reid. She married fellow Freehold resident Henry William Parker (1836 - 1887) in 1860. The date of her marriage, combined with the approximate date of the apron's construction, may indicate that Mary made the pretty accessory as part of her wedding trousseau. After the death of Professor Amos Richardson, Principal of the Freehold Young Ladies Seminary, the Parkers donated a large sum of money to keep the institution in operation.
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