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Checked Aprons in the 18th Century

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Additional Resources


Clothing and Consumers in Rural New England, 1760-1810

Hyaline Prosaic: Checked Apron

Kitty Calash: Fine Sewing

Additional notes on 18th century women’s aprons

Online fabric shops with check linen

Last updated: Jan 5, 2024

The Annals of Philadelphia notes, “Very decent women went abroad and to churches with check aprons. I have seen those, who kept their coach in my time to bear them to church, who told me they went on foot with a check apron to the Arch Street Presbyterian meeting in their youth.”

See the descriptions of aprons in runaway advertisements for more references to check aprons.

Camilla, a novel written in 1796, reveals some contemporary attitudes about the English women who wore checked aprons:

Mr. Dennel and Mrs. Arlbery, who neither of them, at any time, took the ſmalleſt notice of what ſhe ſaid, paſſed on, and left the whole weight of both her perſon and her complaints to Camilla. The latter, however, now reached the ears of a fat, tidy, neat looking elderly woman, who, in a large black bonnet, and a blue checked apron, was going their way; ſhe approached them … The woman ſaid, “Why what’s here to do? Why ſee, my dear, if I muſt let you into the ſecret,—you muſt know—but don’t tell it to the world!—I’m a gentlewoman!” She then removed her checked apron, and ſhewed a white muſlin one, embroidered and flounced.
Miſs Dennel was now ſtruck with a ſurpriſe, of which Camilla bore an equal ſhare. Their new acquaintance appeared herſelf in ſome confuſion, but having exacted a promise not to be diſcovered to the world, ſhe told them, ſhe lodged at a houſe upon Mount Pleaſant, juſt by their’s, whence ſhe often ſaw them; that, having a ticket given her, by a friend, for the play, ſhe dreſſed herſelf and went into a box, with ſome very genteel company, who kept their coach, and who ſat her down afterwards at another friend’s, where ſhe pretended ſhe ſhould be fetched: “But I do my own way,” continued ſhe, “and nobody knows a word of the matter: for I keep a large bonnet, and cloak, and a checked apron, and a pair of clogs, or pattens, always at this friend’s; and then when I have put them on, people take me for a mere common perſon, and I walk on, ever ſo late, and nobody ſpeaks to me; and ſo by that means I get my pleaſure, and ſave my money; and yet always appear like a gentlewoman when I’m known.”

Additional references to check aprons from English sources in 1772, 1778, 1780, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1792, 1797, 1797, and 1799. Also, check aprons are sometimes mentioned in the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, such as the 1751 trials of Lucy Beard and Sarah Castele.

Winterthur 07x005 and Met 156.4 T31 are 18th century textile sample books with fustian samples that resemble some of the checked fabrics used for aprons in the paintings and illustrations.

(I’ve also added a section with links to online fabric stores where you can shop for check linen for making your own apron.)

Extant examples

Checked aprons in artwork & illustrations

Notes on shopping for check linen

The predominant color combination seen on 18th century check aprons is a dark blue check on a white ground. As of this writing, some of the best fabric options available for this general color combination include Wm. Booth WLG 181.

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Some additional sites to shop for check linen for aprons (compare them to the illustrations linked above to consider whether their fabrics will work for your project):