# Apron

- By: England
- Date: 1760s
- Medium: Cotton, plain weave; drawnwork and embroidery in cotton, satin, buttonhole, chain, and double chain stitches with linen thread
- Classification: Costume and Accessories
- Dimensions: 200.7 × 104.1 cm (79 × 41 in.)
- Culture: England
- Credit line: Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/8101)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/c24feb4e-d7f5-791e-58ee-5db1a40d0a0d/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This apron mimics lace in its play of translucence and opacity. Fine sheer cotton muslin, imported to Europe from India, played a crucial role in fashion starting in the 1780s, but in this earlier example the embroidery motifs worked on the muslin are drawn from a traditional English vocabulary of stylized flowers. No ordinary kitchen apron, this accessory would have formed part of an elegant ensemble for a stroll in the park.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0