Aprons can serve many functions:

• To protect
• To add convenience
• To adorn
• To communicate

Gingham aprons provided a canvas for women to embellish with embroidery. They provided busy women with a means of artistic expression. The gingham aprons were decorative, practical, and inexpensive to make. Many times they were given as gifts to other women. Those shown here were popular accessories between the 1930s and 1950s.

The pink gingham apron was made by Mrs.Orville Bartle of Edgeley, ND, and was given in 1937 as a high school graduation gift to the donor, Irene Glass. It was a "dressy" apron, worn when a hostess served meals to guests in her home.

The other aprons shown are among a group of 25 embroidered gingham aprons collected by Irene, as she has a deep appreciation for textile arts created and used by women. A common name for this type of embroidery is "Chicken Scratch Embroidery."

Donor: Irene (Olson) Glass