Embroidered apron made by an unidentified enslaved seamstress

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Apron made by an enslaved person. The apron is off white and is starting to discolor from old age. The top of the apron extends out into a thin strap on either side. The straps are meant to be tied in the back. The bottom of the apron has scalloped edges with even smaller scallops along the curves. There is a design that starts at the top of the apron and expands row by row. There is a bunch of grapes made out of negative space as well as embroidered shapes. There are thirteen (13) holes in the apron that make up the grapes. There are two (2) bunches in the second row, followed by three, four, five, six, and nine. There are flower designs in between each of the bunches of grapes. Above and below each bunchthere is a curved leaf design and embroidered vines.

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