Based on some comments from readers, my blog entry on apron hooks was a waste of time.
And so, in my never-ending efforts to annoy, here is some more on apron hooks.
Data digger Jeff Burks started searching for the things. In all his travels, Jeff says he’s never seen any in New England, and I’ve never seen any for sale at Midwest auctions. However, Jeff turned up tons of them in France.
Called “crochets de tablier,” they are many times trade-specific. Check out the one above for woodworkers.
“I’ve found a lot of images of French metal detectorists who have unearthed these things in a field,” Jeff writes. “The designs seem to be mostly trade specific, with the pile of joiners tools and the workbench being unusually common. There are many variations on the same theme, which suggest that they were made over a long period of time by many foundries. I’m having a difficult time understanding why the heart shaped ones are associated with tanners. Have not seen any three- or four-leaf clovers.”
Want to see a bunch? Jeff recommends this page.
Despite R.A. Salaman’s drawings, which shows two hooks on the apron, these things show up mostly as one piece. The implication is that the hook goes into a reinforced button-hole-like opening in the apron.
If I get to France this summer, I’ll have to look for some.
— Christopher Schwarz