Apron Collection (#100)

Servants in Love
An Edwardian Scullery Maid falls for the Hall Boy as he chops firewood. Date: early 1900s (re-enactment)

Bavarian C18th Costume

German Costume 1790

Fashions 1 July 1883
Girl: long bodice & kilted skirt. Women: jacket bodice, waistcoat front, horizontal bands of gaging & puffing on the skirt; black beaded mantle, flounces & apron front Date: 1883

Glass Blower 1950S
Glass blower Date: 1950s

Children and Cows 1890
Two country girls watch as the cattle come in for milking. Date: 1890

TELEPHONE ADVERTISEMENT. Bell Telephone advertisement from an American magazine, 1959

COCOA: CHOCOLATE AD. Mothers Cocoa in Danger. English advertisement, 1900, for Rowntrees High Class Chocolates and Cocoa

Messy boy
MODEL RELEASED. Messy boy eating his dinner. He is eighteen months old

Pasta being drained using a colander

Food traceability, conceptual image

FILM: HECTIC DAYS, 1928. Lupino Lane in a still from the 1928 motion picture Hectic Days

NEW YORK CITY RESTAURANT. A restaurant on the Bowery, New York City, c1905. Oil over a photograph

Silent Still: Bathtub

THE IRRESISTIBLE LOVER, 1927. Film still

ICEMAN & HOUSEWIFE. Stereograph, 19th century

PURITANS GOING TO CHURCH. Mezzotint after George Henry Boughton

RENOIR: WASHERWOMEN. The Washerwomen. Oil on canvas by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1886-89

SALVATION ARMY, c1920. Salvation Army at the front. Two women of the Salvation Army baking pies in a trench. Photograph, c1920

SILENT FILM STILL: SMOKING. Lucille La Verne in Sun-Up, 1925. A Film interpretation of the stage by Lula Vollmer

FILM STILL: EATING & DRINKING. Actors Thelma Todd and Milton Sills

SILENT FILM STILL. Marie Dressler

HEART OF A SIREN, 1925. Starring Barbara La Marr

JUST ANOTHER BLONDE, 1926. Film still

SILENT FILM STILL. Walter Baxter in a scene from Mannequin, 1926

MADGE BELLAMY. Madge Bellamy (right) in a scene from a silent film of the 1920s

LINOTYPE OPERATOR, c1920s. Motion-picture still

LEMON MERINGUE, 1931. Edgar Kennedy in Lemon Meringue, 1931. Silent Film still

MERELY MARY ANN, 1920. Shirley Mason as the title character from the film

SILENT FILM STILL. Billie Dove

SILENT FILM STILL, 1920s. Aileen Pringle

TWO WEEKS WITH PAY, 1921. Bebe Daniels in a still from the film

TENTH AVENUE, 1928. Film still

THE GIRL AT HOME, 1917. Vivian Martin in a scene from the film

IT MUST BE LOVE, 1926. Film still

MALE & FEMALE, 1919. Gloria Swanson (seated) in a scene from the film directed by Cecil DeMille

THE PLAY GIRL, 1928. Madge Bellamy in a scene from the film

PEARL BAILEY (1918-1990). American singer and actress. Photographed by Carl Van Vechten, while performing in the musical St. Louis Woman, 1946

Romance on a city rooftop, 1800s
Woman hanging laundry talking with a mason on a city rooftop, 1870s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

HOUS2D-00059
African-American woman reenactor sewing at Yorktown battlefield, Virginia. Digital photograph

HSET2A-00127
English Puritan settlers arriving on the winter shores of Cape Cod. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th century illustration

HSET2A-00039
Pilgrim couple on the way to church, Plymouth Colony. Hand-colored halftone reproduction of a 19th-century illustration by Howard Pyle

Britannia and Eve Christmas cover 1931
Front cover illustration featuring a female chef holding two turkeys who will soon be gracing someones table for Christmas dinner; the cook smiles sweetly

French Cream room at a sweet factory, London
Women handle large wooden trays in the French Cream room at the sweet manufacturers Clarke, Nickolls and Coombs, at Hackney Wick, London. The firm made Clarincos chocolates

Furniture workshop, Barnstaple, Devon
Men at work assembling wooden sections in the furniture workshop of Messrs Shapland and Petter, Barnstaple, Devon

Matchmakers filling frames with wax strands
Women working at a matchmaking factory fill frames with wax strands

Filling, weighing and packing tea, Bankside, London
Workers filling, weighing and packing chests of tea at Messrs Travers Wharf, Bankside, London. Date: circa 1902

Kitchens, Lambeth Schools, West Norwood, London
Staff and inmate helpers in the kitchens at the Lambeth Schools for workhouse children on Elder Road, West Norwood, South London. Kitchen fittings include a large cooking range and two coppers

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

In the realm of craftsmanship, aprons serve as loyal companions to artisans like coopers meticulously crafting wooden barrels. Their sturdy fabric shields them from wood shavings and resinous stains, allowing their skills to flourish unhindered. During the tumultuous times of the First World War, aprons became a symbol of resilience and determination for women in the Land Army. In Truro, Cornwall circa 1917, these brave ladies donned their aprons with pride as they fearlessly worked the land, ensuring food security amidst chaos. Stepping into Alice's whimsical wonderland brings us face-to-apron with peculiar scenes. Inside the White Rabbit's house, an oversized apron hangs on a hook - a reminder that even in fantasy realms, practicality has its place. History weaves tales of compassion too; St Elizabeth of Hungary spun wool for the poor while wearing her humble apron in 1901. Her selflessness is immortalized through this simple garment that protected her clothes but also embodied her commitment to helping those less fortunate. The clangs and sparks emanating from blacksmiths' forges are accompanied by resilient leather aprons shielding them from flying embers. These protectors allow skilled hands to shape metal into formidable tools and works of art alike. Childhood games often mirror reality; thus we find young girls playing nurse while adorned with makeshift aprons fashioned from bedsheets or scraps of cloth. Their nurturing spirits shine through as they care for imaginary patients with boundless love and empathy. Amidst bustling city streets lies Leeds' Grand Theatre where performers adorn themselves backstage with elegant satin-lined stage aprons before captivating audiences under dazzling lights - a testament to both glamour and hard work behind-the-scenes. As majestic Zeppelins soared across European skies in 1933, crew members wore specialized fire-resistant flight suits complete with durable leather aprons. The zeppelin's galley bustled beneath these protective garments, ensuring that even amidst the clouds, culinary excellence prevailed.