The Invention of the Sewing MachineCooper, Grace Rogers
History
The Invention of the Sewing Machine
Cooper, Grace Rogers
Sewing machines -- History
[Illustration: Figure 78.--CENTENNIAL SEWING MACHINE, 1876. The
Centennial machine was basically a McLean and Hooper sewing machine
which was renamed to take advantage of the coming Centennial
celebration. It was based on the patents of J. N. McLean, March 30,
1869, and August 2, 1870, and made a two-thread chainstitch. Only about
five hundred Centennial machines were manufactured in 1873, but by 1876
over three thousand had been constructed. The machines were advertised
on white circulars which were printed in red and blue, and engraved with
two women sewing, one by hand, labeled "Sewing in 1776," and one at a
Centennial sewing machine, labeled "Sewing in 1876." There is no record
that the machines were made after 1876. (Smithsonian photo 48216-T.)]
[Illustration: Figure 79.--CLARK'S Revolving-Looper double-thread sewing
machine, 1860. This machine was manufactured by Lamson, Goodnow, & Yale
of Windsor, Vermont. It was an attempt to improve on the combined ideas
of the Grover and Baker machine, the Nettleton & Raymond machine, and
the earlier single-thread Windsor machine. The improvements were made
and patented by Edwin Clark on December 6, 1859. Widely advertised, the
machines sold for $35 with a foot-power table. They could also be
operated by hand. Over three thousand were manufactured and sold, and
preparations were being made to continue manufacture of the earlier
single-thread Windsor, originally made by the company's predecessor,
Vermont Arms Co., when the Civil War broke out. A flood of arms orders
arrived, and the sewing-machine manufacture was discontinued early in
the summer of 1861. The sewing-machine equipment and business was sold
to Grout & White of Massachusetts. (Smithsonian photo 48216.)]
[Illustration: Figure 80.--DU LANEY SEWING MACHINE of about 1872. Most
of the small, simple, chainstitch sewing machines of this period were
constructed so that they could either be turned by hand or set into a
treadle-powered table. Du Laney's Little Monitor, manufactured for only
a few years, was based on the patents of G.L. Du Laney, July 3, 1866,
and May 2, 1871. It was a two-thread, chainstitch machine powered only
by a foot treadle. By simple adjustment, the machine could also make the
cablestitch and the lockstitch. (Smithsonian photo 48221-C.)]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account