Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Apron
Apron
Apron

Apron

PeriodCirca 1850 - 1860
Place MadeShrewsbury, New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSilk, silk cord
Dimensions25 × 26 in. (63.5 × 66 cm)
ClassificationsCostume, Women's
Credit LineGift of Lena Brinley, 1972
Object number1972.5.33
DescriptionA woman's apron made of thin silk in a steel blue, tan, and soft brown narrow stripe. The square panel of silk is hemmed along the left, right, and bottom edges, while the top edge is tightly gathered and sewn to a golden brown silk cord, with long waist ties ending in decorative silk tassels.
Curatorial RemarksAprons such as this one were worn not so much for work, but as decorative accessories, at teas and during visits from friends.NotesThis stylish silk apron descended within the Allen family of Shrewsbury. Dr. Edmund William Allen (1788 - 1867) purchased the former tavern located at the corner of Sycamore Avenue and Broad Street (Route 35) in 1814. Allen, who married Sarah Throckmorton (1790 - 1875) that same year, converted the building into his doctor's office, small pharmacy, and family home. The house remained in the Allen familiy until 1927, when Dr. Edmund Allen's granddaughter Margaret "Maggie" Allen (1860 - 1959) sold the property. After Maggie Allen's death in 1959, family friend Lena Brinley donated a number of Allen family heirlooms, including this apron. Although the original maker and owner of the apron is uncertain, it was most likely an accessory belonging to either of Dr. Allen's unmarried daughters Sarah (1825 - 1891) or Harriet (1828 - 1910).
Collections