“Vintage Aprons: Tie One On” presentation by Margaret Goss

A new exhibit of aprons will open in May at the Sod House Museum near Aline, featuring a century’s-worth of vintage aprons. Margaret Goss of Carmen will present a lecture entitled “Vintage Aprons: Tie One On” at the Sod House Museum on Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m.

Aprons have been around since ancient times and used for practical, decorative and ritualistic purposes. Apron comes from the French word “naperon,” meaning a small tablecloth. Women wore them to protect their clothes because they owned only one or two dresses. They were worn by homemakers, working people, tradesmen, and artisans. Aprons also indicated a man’s trade: barbers wore checkered aprons; stonemasons wore white aprons; cobblers wore black; butchers wore blue stripes; butlers wore green; and weavers, spinners, and gardeners commonly wore blue.

“Aprons portray the fabric of people’s lives,” said Goss. Her lecture will cover the history of vintage aprons from the early 20th century to the present day. Today she has a collection of more than 60 aprons. “I started collecting them because I just could not allow any to be thrown away,” said Goss. She will begin by explaining the need for aprons in the early 20th century, how feed sacks were used as apron fabric during the Great Depression, the common depictions of women wearing aprons in the 1940s and ʾ50s, and how aprons fell out of favor as old-fashioned in the late 1960s. She also will address the 21st-century fad of vintage aprons.

Goss’s lecture will draw attention to the new exhibit by discussing the history of the aprons on display. She will present a style show of aprons during the program and talk about the different styles and fabrics used throughout the century. For more information contact Director Renee Trindle at 580-463-2441 or sodhouse@okhistory.org.