Throughout February 1832, George Washington’s 100th birthday was celebrated nationwide with parades—and sometimes participants marked the occasion with commemorative costumes. This silk apron, a ceremonial version of an artisan’s apron, is printed with Washington’s portrait and birth and death dates. The appliquéed black silk hat design is interlined with a fragment of a New York City newspaper from December 17, 1831, dating the apron to just before the centennial celebration. A hatter (a maker or seller of hats) may have worn it to the centenary parade in Philadelphia, where thousands of artisans marched together. The February 25, 1832, issue of The Evening Post of New York, N.Y., reported, “The Hatters—450 in number—were preceded by a standard [flag or banner] ... The members of this company wore white aprons.” It seems implausible that so many hundreds of hatters lived within the same city, so it’s likely that many traveled to march in the parade—perhaps even the wearer of this apron, given the newspaper clipping’s origin.
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