Apron

This apron was made in 1874 by Joseph Absalom Mills whilst he was serving in the Royal Navy. Born on Portsea Island to a cordwainer, Joseph signed up to 10 years continuous service in 1860 at the age of 14. He joined Victory as a Boy 2nd Class and went on to serve in Asia, Falcon, Challenger, Excellent and Duke of Wellington. In 1875 he transferred to the Coast Guard and continued as a Boatman until 1887, when he became a gardener. In 1876 he married Jessie Rose, for whom this apron was made.

The apron is made from a black silk sailor’s square backed with a stout fabric, hand embroidered and embellished with velvet appliques and machine-made lace. These sorts of decorative black silk or taffeta aprons (sometimes called sewing apron,) were fashionable from the 1850s and were particularly associated with lady’s maids or their juniors, whose responsebilities in the service of a household did not require the protection to clothing offered by a utilitarian apron or smock. Previous to getting married, Jessie had worked in service in Scotland. In the 1871 census, three years before the apron was made, she is listed as a General Domestic Servant in Aberdeenshire. Perhaps by 1874 she had been promoted to be the junior of the lady’s maid or the lady’s maid herself, or that this was an aspiration of hers.

The black silk square had been part of the proscribed dress of seamen since the 1790s and became a standardised element of the slop provision in the 1820s. Despite being part of the effort in making the dress of seamen more uniform, the silk square is a prime example in how individuals customised and used the uniform items in ways which suited them. This item’s multi-modality is demonstrated within sailors’ accounts show that the black silk handkerchiefs were used as carrier bags, ear defenders, currency, bandages and as craft materials. Another example of the black silk being used as embroidery ground is TXT0283.