Christy Hagar owns more than 200 aprons, and she’s become something of a local expert on their history and evolution. On Sunday, July 25, she will share her knowledge of the humble apron during “Vintage Aprons—Voices from the Past,” a narrated fashion show set for 2 p.m. at the historic Tappmeyer Homestead (2 Barnes West Drive, Millennium Park) in Creve Coeur.
Hagar’s interest in aprons developed by chance. She won a blue ribbon in a St. Charles apron design contest in 2002, and soon friends and family members started giving her aprons—many of them passed down from their own mothers and grandmothers. As her collection grew, she did research on specific aprons as well as on the topic.
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“People think that aprons are feminine, but they are really not. Throughout history, there were more men than women who wore aprons,” Hagar says, noting how something akin to an apron was worn both by Egyptian royalty and by workmen like blacksmiths, carpenters, and butchers. Later, women also adopted aprons, and the styles became much more elaborate.
“My oldest apron is from the 1800s. It’s a black silk apron with velvet trim, and it was used by ladies in mourning,” Hagar says. “Queen Victoria is the one who made the custom of wearing black popular. After Prince Albert died in 1861, she wore black for the rest of her life. That influenced people even here in the U.S.”
Decades later, during the Great Depression and World War II, aprons were made from whatever materials women could find, including fabric scraps and flour sacks. But as the economy rebounded, so did the apron. They became ubiquitous on TV shows like “Leave It to Beaver” and “I Love Lucy,” before falling out of favor as women traded the home for the workplace in the ’70s.
“But now aprons are back,” Hagar says, “and it will be interesting to see what the future holds.”
Hagar’s presentation is part of a larger “Kitchen Culture” exhibition at the Tappmeyer Homestead this summer that examines what cooking looked—and tasted—like in the late 19th century. The homestead was built in the early 1880s and was home to four generations of the Tappmeyer family before being relocated to Millennium Park in 2003. Today, the historic home has been restored and is open to the public.
“Because of the homestead’s history, we promote opportunities for folks to learn about many aspects of life ‘back then,’” says Nancy Litzinger, a volunteer and board member for the Tappmeyer Homestead Foundation. “‘Kitchen Culture’ was just a natural fit with our mission—to showcase items used in cooking during the time when the home was built. But aprons are also a sort of insider look at how the role of women has changed over the years.”
Visit the “Kitchen Culture” exhibition from noon to 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays in July and August. To reserve your spot for Hagar’s presentation on July 25, email [email protected]. The presentation is free to the public, but donations will be accepted to support educational opportunities for women.
