Original 1949 McCall Pattern No. 1481 - Mr. and Mrs. Aprons

Original 1949 McCall Pattern No. 1481 for matching Mr. and Mrs. aprons, his a bib apron bound in red and hers a gathered half apron banded in red and black rick-rack, both embroidered with comic kitchen scenes. Factory folded and unused, with its uncut transfer; the envelope is worn and professionally repaired.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: McCall No. 1481
• Year: 1949; promoted in catalog appearances from January 1952 to 1955 (McCall's Economy Group catalog, January 1952; McCall catalog, December 1953, Page 676; McCall catalog, 1955)
• Garment: Mr. and Mrs. Aprons (2 Views), with Transfer
• Size: One Size
• Condition: Factory Folded and Unused; Comes with Uncut Transfer; Envelope Worn and Professionally Repaired with Lineco Acid-Free Archival Tissue and Acid-Free Adhesive

Design

View A, for him, is a straight bib apron in white or unbleached cotton, bound in red bias or woven tape, with a deep pocket and a border of embroidered figures: a chef at work and friends in the kitchen. View B, for her, is a full half apron gathered onto a shaped waistband, trimmed with rows of red and black rick-rack, and embroidered with little girls in ruffled dresses whisking and serving. The transfer adds two more vignettes, a cook sweeping up and a hostess taking a pie from the oven. Both are worked in red and black six-strand embroidery. Six pieces and one transfer.

A Moment in Fashion History

Mr. and Mrs. aprons were a McCall specialty through the late 1940s and 1950s, as men moved into the kitchen and to the grill. This pair had a long life in the catalog: copyrighted in 1949, it was still being promoted six years later. It appears in McCall's January 1952 Economy Group catalog beside the Mr. and Mrs. Barbecue Aprons, No. 1515, and in the December 1953 and 1955 catalogs beside the later Mr. and Mrs. set No. 1597, the 1955 page under a cook-out, cook-in apron feature.

Illustration

The envelope front and back are shown as scanned, framed on our blue mat without retouching, so the artwork appears in its true color and condition. The front shows a man in a suit wearing the bib apron and reading a recipe, beside a woman in the rick-rack half apron, with drawings of the extra embroidery motifs. A purple "Norris' Not Exchangeable" store stamp and a penciled "49" are on the front. We've also included pages from McCall's January 1952 Economy Group catalog, the December 1953 McCall catalog (page 676), and the 1955 McCall catalog, where it appears.

Connections

McCall made aprons for everyone in the household: matching sets for mother and daughter, his-and-hers aprons for Mr. and Mrs., and junior aprons for brother and sister, so the whole family could pitch in together. Explore McCall Family Aprons in Kitschy Kitchen -- McCall Edition.