II. American Sewing-Machine Companies of the 19th Century

During the latter half of the 19th century, there was a total of two hundred or more sewing-machine companies in the United States. Although a great many manufacturing-type machines were sold, this business was carried on by relatively few companies and most were primarily concerned with the family-type machines. A representative number of these family machines together with information concerning both the company and serial-number dating are found in figures 68 through 132. A great many of the companies were licensed by the “Combination,” but, in addition, some companies were constructing machines that did not infringe the patents, other companies infringed the patents but managed to avoid legal action, and there were numerous companies that mushroomed into existence after the “Combination” was dissolved in 1877. Most of the latter were very short-lived. It is difficult to establish the exact dates of some of these companies as many of their records were incomplete or have since disappeared; even a great many of the “Combination” records were lost by fire. A summary of the existing records kept by the “Combination” is given in figure 37.

As will be noted in the subsequent listing, only a small percentage of the companies were in business for a period longer than ten years; of those that continued longer, all but a few had disappeared by 1910. Today there are about sixty United States sewing-machine companies. Most of them manufacture highly specialized sewing machines used for specific types of commercial work; only a few produce family or home-style machines. Foreign competition has increased, and the high cost of skilled labor in this country has made competition in this consumer-product field increasingly difficult. The countless varieties of American family sewing machines, so evident in the 19th century, have passed away.

Sewing Machine Manufacturer or Company First Made or Earliest Record Discontinued or Last Record

Aetna Aetna Sewing Machine Co., Lowell, Mass. ca. 1867 ca. 1877

Aiken and Felthousen ——, Ithaca, N.Y. ca. 1855 before 1880

Alsop —— — ca. 1880

American American Sewing Machine Co. 1854 —

American Buttonhole, Overseaming and Sewing Machine (fig. ) American Buttonhole, Overseaming and Sewing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1869 ca. 1874

Later New American (fig. ) American Sewing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa. ca. 1874 ca. 1886

American Magnetic (fig. ) American Magnetic Sewing Machine Company, Ithaca, N.Y. 1853 1854

Atlantic (fig. ) —— 1869 ca. 1870

Atwater (fig. ) —— 1857 ca. 1860

Avery Avery Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. 1852 185-

Avery Avery Manufacturing Co., New York, N.Y. 1875 1886-1900

A. Bartholf Manfr. A. Bartholf, manufacturer, New York, N.Y. ca. 1850 185-

Blodgett & Lerow patent 1849 (see also)

A. Bartholf Manfr. A. Bartholf, manufacturer, New York, N.Y. 1853 ca. 1856

Howe’s patent, 1846 (fig. )

Bartholf A. Bartholf, manufacturer 1857 1859

Bartholf Sewing Machine Co. 1859 ca. 1865

Bartlett (fig. ) Goodspeed & Wyman 1866 ca. 1870

Bartlett Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. ca. 1870 1872

Baker —— — before 1880

Bartram & Fanton (fig. ) Bartram & Fanton Mfg. Co., Danbury, Conn. 1867 1874

Bay State —— — before 1880

Beckwith (fig. ) Barlow & Son, New York, N.Y. 1871 1872

Beckwith Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. 1872 ca. 1876

Blees Blees Sewing Machine Co. 1870 1873

Blodgett & Lerow O. Phelps, Boston, Mass. 1849 1849

(fig. ) Goddard, Rice & Co., Worcester, Mass. 1849 1850

(fig. ) A. Bartholf, manufacturer, New York, N.Y. 1849 185-

Bond —— — before 1880

Boston J. F. Paul & Co., Boston, Mass. 1880 —

Later New Boston Boston Sewing Machine Co., Boston, Mass. — after 1886

Boudoir (fig. ) Daniel Harris, inventor and patentee
Manufacturer—several 1857 ca. 1870

Bradford & Barber Bradford & Barber, manufacturers, Boston, Mass. 1860 1861

Brattleboro Samuel Barker and Thomas White, Brattleboro, Vt. ca. 1858 1861

Buckeye Wilson [W.G.] Sewing Machine Company, Cleveland, Ohio ca. 1867 ca. 1876

Later New Buckeye (fig. ) (see Wilson)

Buell, “E. T. Lathbury’s Patent” A. B. Buell, Westmoreland, New York ca. 1860 —

Burnet & Broderick Burnet, Broderick and Co. 1859 ca. 1860

Centennial (fig. ) Centennial Sewing Machine Co. (see McLean and Hooper), Philadelphia, Pa. 1873 1876

Chamberlain Woolridge, Keene and Moore, Lynn, Mass. 1853 ca. 1854

Chicago Singer Scates, Tryber & Sweetland Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill. 1879 1882

Later Chicago Chicago Sewing Machine Co. 1882 ca. 1885

Chicopee

(see Shaw & Clark)

Clark (fig. ) D. W. Clark, Bridgeport, Conn. ca. 1858 after 1860

Clark’s Revolving Looper [double thread] (fig. ) Lamson, Goodnow & Yale, Windsor, Vt. 1859 1861

(see Windsor)

Clinton Clinton Brothers, Ithaca, N.Y. ca. 1861 ca. 1865

Companion Thurston Mfg. Co., Marlboro, N.H. 1882 —

Crown Florence Sewing Machine Co., Florence, Mass. 1879 after 1886

(see Florence)

Dauntless (later New Dauntless) Dauntless Mfg. Co., Norwalk, Ohio 1877 after 1882

Davis J.A. Davis, New York, N.Y. ca. 1860 —

Davis Vertical Feed Davis Sewing Machine Co., Watertown, N.Y. 1869 after 1886

Davis Vertical Feed and Rotary Shuttle Davis Sewing Machine Co., Dayton, Ohio after 1886 1924

Decker (also The Princess) Decker Mfg. Co., Detroit, Mich. — before 1881

Demorest Demorest Mfg. Co (formerly N.Y. Sewing Machine Co.) 1882 1908

Diamond (formerly Sigwalt) Sigwalt Sewing Machine Co., Chicago, Ill. 1880 —

Domestic Wm. A. Mack & Co. and N. S. Perkins, Norwalk, Ohio 1864 1869

Domestic Domestic Sewing Machine Co., Norwalk, Ohio, acquired by White Sewing Machine Co. in 1924 and maintained as a subsidiary at Cleveland, Ohio. 1869

Dorcas John P. Bowker, Boston, Mass. 1853 185-

Du Laney (fig. )

Also called Little Monitor (see)

Durgin Charles A. Durgin, New York, N.Y. 1853 after 1855

Eldredge Eldredge Sewing Machine Co., Chicago, Ill. 1869 1890

Elliptic

Sloat’s Elliptic George B. Sloat and Co., Philadelphia, Pa. ca. 1858 ca. 1860

Sloat’s Elliptic Union Sewing Machine Co., Richmond, Va. 1860 1861

Elliptic Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. Co. 1861 ca. 1867

Elliptic Sewing Machine Co., N.Y., N.Y. 1867 before 1880

Empire (fig. ) Empire Sewing Machine Co., Boston, Mass. ca. 1860 1869

Later Remington-Empire

Empress Manufactured on order through Jerome B. Secor, Bridgeport, Conn. 1877 —

Estey Estey Sewing Machine Co. ca. 1880 1882

Estey, Fuller-Model Brattleboro Sewing Machine Co., Brattleboro, Vt. 1883 after 1886

Eureka (fig. ) Eureka Shuttle Sewing New York, N.Y. 1859 —

Excelsior Excelsior Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. 1854 1854

Fairy (figs. , ) Madame Demorest, New York, N.Y. 1863 ca. 1865

Finkle, M. (fig. ) M. Finkle, Boston, Mass. 1856 ca. 1859

Finkle & Lyon Finkle & Lyon Sewing Machine Co., Boston, Mass. ca. 1859 1867

Later Victor

First and Frost First and Frost, New York, N.Y. ca. 1859 ca. 1861

Florence (fig. ) Florence Sewing Machine Co., Florence, Mass. ca. 1860 after 1878

Later Crown

Folsom Folsom, J. G., Winchendon, Mass. 1865 ca. 1871

(see Globe and New England)

Fosket and Savage Fosket and Savage, Meriden, Conn. 1858 1859

Foxboro Foxboro Rotary Shuttle Co., Foxboro, Mass. ca. 1882 —

Franklin Franklin Sewing Machine Co., Mason Village, N.H. 1871 1871

Free Free Sewing Machine Co., Chicago and Rockford, Ill. 1898

Gardner C. R. Gardner, Detroit, Mich. 1856 —

Globe (figs. , ) J. G. Folsom, Winchendon, Mass. 1865 1869

Gold Medal (chainstitch) Gold Medal Sewing Machine Co., Orange, Mass. 1863 1876

Gold Medal (running stitch) —— 1863 ca. 1865

Gold Hibbard Hibbard, B. S., & Co. 1875 —

Goodbody (sewing shears) Goodbody Sewing Machine Co., Bridgeport, Conn. 1880 ca. 1890

Goodes Rex & Bockius, Philadelphia, Pa. ca. 1876 before 1881

Goodrich H. B. Goodrich, Chicago, Ill. ca. 1880 ca. 1895

Grant Brothers (fig. ) Grant Bros. & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1867 ca. 1870

Greenman and True (fig. ) Greenman and True Mfg. Co. Norwich, Conn. 1859 1860

Morse and True 1860 1861

Green Mountain —— ca. 1860 —

Griswold Variety L. Griswold, New York, N.Y. ca. 1886 ca. 1890

Grover and Baker (figs. -, ) Grover and Baker Sewing Machine Co., Boston, Mass. 1851 1875

Hancock (figs. , ) —— 1868 before 1881

Heberling Running Stitch John Heberling 1878 ca. 1885

Herron’s Patent (fig. ) —— 1857 —

Higby Higby Sewing Machine Co., Brattleboro, Vt. ca. 1882 after 1886

Later Acme

Home
Home Shuttle Johnson, Clark & Co., Orange, Mass. 1869 after 1876

Homestead —— ca. 1881 —

Household Providence Tool Co., Providence, R.I. 1880 ca. 1884

Household Sewing Machine Co. ca. 1885 1906

Howe (figs. , ) Howe Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. 1853 1873

(company of A. B. Howe sold to Howe Machine Co.)

Howe (fig. ) Howe Machine Co., Bridgeport, Conn. 1867 1886

Howe’s Improved Patent (fig. ) Nichols and Bliss, Boston, Mass. 1852 1853

J. B. Nichols & Co. 1853 1854

which became Leavitt Nichols, Leavitt & Co., Boston, Mass. 1854 1856

N. Hunt, which became Hunt and Webster (figs. , ) N. Hunt & Co., Boston, Mass. 1853 1854

Hunt and Webster, Boston, Mass. 1854 1857

Later Ladd and Webster (see)

Improved Common Sense (fig. ) —— ca. 1870 —

Independent Noiseless Independent Sewing Machine Co., Binghamton, N.Y. 1873 —

Jennie June June Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill. 1881 1890

Later Belvidere, Ill.

Jewel Jewel Mfg. Co., Toledo, Ohio 1884 after 1886

Johnson (fig. ) Emery, Houghton & Co., Boston, Mass. 1856 after 1865

Keystone Keystone Sewing Machine Co. before 1872 ca. 1874

Ladd & Webster (fig. ) Ladd, Webster & Co., Boston, Mass. 1858 ca. 1866

Ladies Companion (fig. ) —— 1858 ca. 1858

(see Pratt’s Patent)

“Lady” (fig. ) —— 1859 —

Landfear’s Patent (fig. ) Parkers, Snow, Brooks & Co., West Meriden, Conn. 1857 —

Langdon L.W. Langdon 1856 —

Lathrop (fig. ) Lathrop Combination Sewing Machine Co. 1873 —

Leader Leader Sewing Machine Co., Springfield, Mass. 1882 —

Leavitt (fig. ) Nichols, Leavitt & Co., Boston, Mass. 1855 1857

Leavitt & Co. 1857 ca. 1865

Leavitt Sewing Machine Co. ca. 1865 1870

Leslie Revolving Shuttle Leslie Sewing Machine Co., Cleveland, Ohio 1881 —

Lester (fig. ) J.H. Lester, Brooklyn, N.Y. ca. 1858 early 1860

Lester Mfg. Co., Richmond, Va. early 1860 late 1860

Union Sewing Machine Co., Richmond, Va. late 1860 1861

Little Gem —— — ca. 1870

Little Giant Domestic Sewing Machine Co., Norwalk, Ohio ca. 1882 —

Little Monitor (not associated with Monitor) G.L. Du Laney, Brooklyn, N.Y. ca. 1866 after 1875

Love Love Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. 1885 after 1886

Lyon Lyon Sewing Machine Co. 1879 ca. 1880

Macauley Thos. A. Macauley Mfg., New York, N.Y. before 1879 —

Manhattan Manhattan Sewing Machine Co. ca. 1868 ca. 1880

McKay McKay Sewing Machine Assoc. 1870 1876

McLean and Hooper B. W. Lacy & Co., Philadelphia, Pa. ca. 1869 ca. 1873

(see Centennial)

Meyers J. M. Meyers 1859 —

Miller’s Patent —— 1853 —

Monitor (fig. ) Shaw & Clark Sewing Machine Co., Biddeford, Me. 1860 1864

Moore Moore Sewing Machine Co. ca. 1860 —

Morey & Johnson (fig. ) Safford & Williams Makers, Boston, Mass. 1849 ca. 1851

Morrison Morrison, Wilkinson & Co., Hartford, Conn. 1881 —

Mower —— ca. 1863 —

National Johnson, Clark & Co., Orange, Mass. 1874 —

National (also sold under distributor’s name) National Sewing Machine Co. (consolidation of the June and Eldredge Companies), Belvidere, Ill. 1890 1953

Ne Plus Ultra (fig. ) O. L. Reynolds Manufacturing Co., Dover, N.H. 1857 —

Nettleton & Raymond (fig. ) Nettleton & Raymond, Brattleboro, Vt. ca. 1857 —

New England (figs. , ) Charles Raymond (also by: ca. 1859 1866

Grout & White, Orange, Mass.; 1862 1863

William Grout, Winchendon, Mass.; 1863 —

and J. G. Folsom, Winchendon, Mass.) 1865 1865

Newell —— 1881 —

New Fairbanks J. H. Drew & Co. 1878 1880

Thomas M. Cochrane Co., Belleville, Ill. 1880 —

New Home New Home Sewing Machine Co., Orange, Mass. (in 1928 became affiliated with Free Sewing Machine Co.) 1876

New York ——, New York, N.Y. ca. 1855 ca. 1855

New York Shuttle N.Y. Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. (later Demorest Mfg. Co.) before 1880 1882

Noble Noble Sewing Machine Co., Erie, Pa. before 1881 after 1886

Novelty C. A. French, Boston, Mass. 1869 —

Old Dominion Old Dominion Sewing Machine Co., Richmond, Va. ca. 1858 1860

Pardox —— ca. 1865 —

Parham Parham Sewing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa. ca. 1869 ca. 1871

Parker Charles Parker Co., Meriden, Conn. before 1860 after 1865

Later Parker Sewing Machine Co.

Pearl —— Bennett ca. 1859 —

Philadelphia Philadelphia Sewing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa. ca. 1872 ca. 1881

Post Combination Post Combination Sewing Machine Co., Washington, D.C. before 1885 after 1886

Pratt’s Patent (fig. ) —— 1857 ca. 1858

Later Ladies Companion

Queen Dauntless Mfg Co., Norwalk, Ohio ca. 1881 —

Quaker City (fig. ) Quaker City Sewing Machine Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1859 ca. 1861

Remington Empire
Later Remington Remington Empire Sewing Machine Co. 1870 1872

E. Remington & Sons, Philadelphia, Pa. 1873 ca. 1894

Robertson (dolphin & cherub) (figs. , ) T. W. Robertson, New York, N.Y. 1855 after 1860

Robinson F. R. Robinson, Boston, Mass. 1853 ca. 1855

Robinson’s patent sewing machine with Roper’s improvement (fig. ) Howard & Davis, Boston, Mass. 1855 —

Later Robinson and Roper (fig. ) same 1856 before 1860

Royal St. John (formerly St. John) Royal Sewing Machine Co., Springfield, Ohio (later Free Co.) ca. 1883 1898

Ruddick —— ca. 1860 —

Secor Secor Machine Co., Bridgeport, Conn. 1870 1876

Sewing Shears (Hendrick’s patent) (fig. ) Nettleton & Raymond, Bristol, Conn. ca. 1859 —

Sewing Shears American Hand Sewing Machine Co., Bridgeport, Conn. ca. 1884 ca. 1900

Shaw & Clark Shaw & Clark Co., Biddeford, Me. ca. 1857 1866

Running Stitch Machine (fig. )

Chainstitch Machine (fig. )

Chainstitch Machine (fig. ) Shaw & Clark Co., Chicopee Falls, Mass. 1867 1868

Chicopee Sewing Machine Co., Chicopee Falls, Mass. 1868 ca. 1869

Sigwalt Sigwalt Sewing Machine Co., Chicago, Ill. ca. 1879 —

Singer (figs. , , , , , , ) I. M. Singer & Co. (later Singer Mfg. Co.). Moved from Boston to New York to Elizabethport, N.J. (factory). 1851

Springfield Springfield Sewing Machine Co., Springfield, Mass. 1880 —

Standard (chainstitch) (fig. ) —— 1870 —

Standard (shuttle) Standard Shuttle Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. 1874 ca. 1881

Standard Standard Sewing Machine Co., Cleveland, Ohio (acquired by Singer Co.) 1884 ca. 1930

Stewart Henry Stewart & Co., N.Y., N.Y. 1874 1880

Later New Stewart Stewart Mfg Co. 1880 ca. 1883

St. John (later Royal St. John) St. John Sewing Machine Co., Springfield, O. 1870 ca. 1883

Taggart & Farr (figs. , ) Taggart & Farr, Philadelphia, Pa. 1858 —

Thompson C. F. Thompson Co. 1871 1871

T. C. Thompson, Ithaca, N.Y. ca. 1854 —

Union Johnson, Clark & Co., Orange, Mass. 1876 —

Victor Finkle & Lyon Mfg. Co. 1867 ca. 1872

Victor Sewing Machine Co., Middletown, Conn. ca. 1872 ca. 1890

Wardwell Wardwell Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Mo. ca. 1876 1890

Watson (fig. ) Jones & Lee 1850 ca. 1853

Watson & Wooster, Bristol, Conn. ca. 1853 ca. 1860

Waterbury Waterbury Co., Waterbury, Conn. 1853 ca. 1860

Weed T. E. Weed & Co. (became Whitney & Lyons) 1854 —

Weed Weed Sewing Machine Co. (reorganized from Whitney & Lyons), Hartford, Conn. 1865 —

Family Favorite 1867 —

Manu. Favorite 1868 —

General Favorite 1872 —

Hartford 1881 ca. 1900

Wesson Farmer & Gardner Manufacturing Co. 1879 1880

D. B. Wesson Sewing Machine Co., Springfield, Mass. 1880 —

West & Willson (fig. ) West & Willson Co., Elyria, Ohio 1858 —

A. B. Wilson (fig. ) E. E. Lee & Co., New York, N.Y. 1851 1852

A. B. Wilson’s patent seaming lathe Wheeler, Wilson, Co., Watertown, N.Y. late 1851 1856

Later Wheeler and Wilson (fig. , , , ) Wheeler & Wilson Mfg.Co., Bridgeport, Conn. 1856 1905

Singer Co., Bridgeport, Conn. 1905 1907

White (fig. ) White Sewing Machine Co., Cleveland, Ohio 1876

Whitehill Whitehill Mfg. Co., Milwaukee, Wis. ca. 1875 after 1886

Whitney Whitney Sewing Machine Co., Paterson, N.J. ca. 1872 ca. 1880

Whitney & Lyons Whitney & Lyons (a machine based on the 1854 patent of T. E. Weed) ca. 1859 ca. 1865

Wickersham Butterfield & Stevens Mfg. Co., Boston, Mass. 1853 —

Willcox & Gibbs (figs. , ) Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Co., New York, N.Y. 1857

Williams & Orvis Williams & Orvis Sewing Machine Co., Boston, Mass. ca. 1859 after 1860

Wilson (fig. ) Wilson (W.G.) Sewing Machine Co., Cleveland, Ohio ca. 1867 after 1885

(see Buckeye)

Windsor (one thread) Vermont Arms Co., Windsor, Vt. 1856 1858

Windsor Lamson, Goodnow & Yale, Windsor, Vt. 1859 1861

(see Clark’s Revolving Looper)

Name Unknown John W. Beane 1853 —

“ Henry Brind 1860 —

“ Garfield Sewing Machine Co. 1881 —

“ Geneva Sewing Machine Co. 1880 —

“ Gove & Howard 1855 —

“ Charles W. Howland, Wilmington, Del. ca. 1860 —

“ Miles Greenwood & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio ca. 1861 —

“ Hood, Batelle & Co. 1854 1854

“ Wells & Haynes 1854 1854

“ Wilson H. Smith, Birmingham, Conn. ca. 1860 —

Figure 68.—American Buttonhole, Overseaming & Sewing Machine of about 1870. Using serial numbers, these machines can be dated approximately as follows: 1-7792, 1869; 7793-22366, 1870; 22367-42488, 1871; 42489-61419, 1872; 61420-75602, 1873; 75603-89132, 1874; 89133-103539, 1875; and 103540-121477, 1876. Figures are not available for the years from 1877 to 1886. (Smithsonian photo 46953-E.)

Figure 69.—(New) American sewing machine of about 1874. Illustration is from a contemporary advertising brochure. (Smithsonian photo 33507.)

Figure 70.—American Magnetic sewing machine, 1854. Machines of this type were manufactured for only two years under the patent of Thomas C. Thompson, March 29, 1853, and later under the patents of Samuel J. Parker, April 11, 1854, and Simon Coon, May 9, 1854. On September 30, 1853, Elias Howe listed receipts of $1000 from the American Magnetic Sewing Machine Co. for patent infringement. The machines manufactured after that date carry the Howe name and 1846 patent date to show proper licensing. Judging by Howe’s usual license fee of $25 per machine, about 40 machines were manufactured prior to September 1853. The company was reported to have made about 600 machines in 1854 before it went out of business. The only American Magnetic machine known to be in existence is in the collection of the Northern Indiana Historical Society at South Bend, Indiana. (Photo courtesy of the Northern Indiana Historical Society.)

Figure 71.—Atlantic sewing machine, 1869. This machine is typical of the many varieties manufactured for a very short time in the 1860s and 1870s. It is about the size of the average hand-turned variety, 8 by 10 inches, but lighter in weight. The frame design was the patent of L. Porter, May 11, 1869, and the mechanism was patented by Alonzo Porter, February 8, 1870. The latter patent model bears the painted legend “Atlantic” and is stamped “Aprl 1, 69,” indicating that it was probably already in commercial production. This date possibly may refer also to L. Porter’s design patent, since actual date of issue was usually later than date of application. (Smithsonian photo 48329-A.)

Figure 72.—A. Bartholf sewing machine, 1853. Abraham Bartholf of New York began manufacturing Blodgett & Lerow machines (see fig. 20) about 1850; the style and mechanics of these machines, however, were primarily those of the Blodgett & Lerow patent as manufactured by O. C. Phelps and Goddard, Rice & Co. For this reason they are considered Blodgett & Lerow—not Bartholf—machines.

The true Bartholf machine evolved when the manufacturer substituted Howe’s reciprocating shuttle for the rotary shuttle of the Blodgett & Lerow machine, continuing to manufacture the machine in his own adapted style. Bartholf manufactured reciprocating-shuttle machines as early as 1853, and his was one of the first companies licensed by Howe.

All Bartholf machines licensed under Howe’s patent carry the Howe name and patent date. They are sometimes mistakenly referred to as Howe machines, but they are no more Howe machines than those manufactured by Wheeler & Wilson, Singer, or many others.

On April 6, 1858, Bartholf was granted a patent for an improvement of the shuttle carrier. He continued to manufacture sewing machines under the name “Bartholf Sewing Machine Co.” until about 1865.

Using serial numbers, Bartholf machines can be dated approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-20 1850

21-50 1851

51-100 1852

101-235 1853

236-290 1854

291-321 1855

322-356 1856

357-387 1857

388-590 1858

591-1337 1859

No record of the number of machines produced by Bartholf after 1859 is available.

The Bartholf machine illustrated bears the serial number 128 and the inscription “A. Bartholf Manfr., NY—Patented Sept. 1846 E. Howe, Jr.” This machine is in the collection of the Baltimore County Historical Society. Note the close similarity between it and the 1850 Blodgett & Lerow machine manufactured by Bartholf. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore County Historical Society.)

Figure 73.—Bartlett sewing machine, 1867. The Bartlett machine was first manufactured in 1866 under the January 31, 1865, and October 10, 1865, patents of Joseph W. Bartlett. The machines were made by Goodspeed & Wyman for the Bartlett Co. and were so marked. The inventor received another patent on April 7, 1868, and later machines carry this third date also. Although the first few hundred machines did not bear the dates of patents held by the “Combination,” before the end of the first year of production Bartlett was paying royalties. He continued to manufacture sewing machines until the early seventies when he converted to the manufacturing of street lamps.

Using serial numbers, Bartlett’s machines can be dated approximately as follows: 1-1000, 1866; 1001-3126, 1867; 3127-?, 1868. There is no record of serial numbers for the succeeding years. (Smithsonian photo 45524-G.)

Figure 74.—Bartram & Fanton sewing machine, 1867. These machines were first manufactured in 1867 under the patents of W. B. Bartram, notably his patent of January 1, 1867. Three machines were exhibited at The Eleventh Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association in 1869 where they were awarded a bronze medal. They were compared favorably to the Willcox & Gibbs machine (see fig. 39), which they resembled. Bartram received additional patents in the early seventies and also manufactured lockstitch machines.

Using serial numbers, machines may be approximately dated as follows: 1-2958, 1867; 2959-3958, 1868; 3959-4958, 1869; 4959-5958, 1870; 5959-6962, 1871; 6963-7961, 1872; 7962-8961, 1873; and 8962-9211, 1874. (Smithsonian photo P63198.)

Figure 75.—Beckwith sewing machine, 1871. Among the inventors whose patent claims were “to produce a cheap and effective sewing machine” was William G. Beckwith. His machine was first manufactured by Barlow & Son, and it realized considerable success in the few years of its production. The earliest model was operated like a pair of scissors or with a cord and ring as illustrated. Beckwith later added a hand crank. The machine was purchased in Crewe, Cheshire, England; it is stamped “Pat. April 18, 71 by Wm. G. Beckwith, Foreign Pats. Secured, Barlow & Son Manuf. N.Y., [serial number] 706.” By 1874 the machines were marked “Beckwith S.M. Co.” and two 1872 patent dates were added.

Using serial numbers, machines may be dated approximately as follows: 1-3500, 1871; 3501-7500, 1872; 7501-12500, 1873; 12501-18000, 1874; 18001-23000, 1875; 23001-?, 1876. (Smithsonian photo 46953-C.)

Figure 76.—Boudoir sewing machine, 1858. This machine, a single-thread, chainstitch model was based on the patents of Daniel Harris, dated June 9, 1857, June 16, 1857, and October 5, 1858. Manufactured primarily by Bennett in Chicago in 1859, it also may have been produced in the East, although no manufacturer’s name can be found.

In 1860, the Boudoir, also called Harris’s Patent sewing machine, was exhibited at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association Exhibition where it won a silver medal for “its combination of parts, its beauty and simplicity, together with its ease of operation.” At this time the machine was described as making a “double lock stitch” (another name for the double chainstitch). It was also described as having been before the public for some time and combining “the improvements of others for which the parties pay license.” The machine head was positioned on the stand similarly to that of the West & Willson (fig. 127) and stitched from left to right.

It is not known exactly how many of these machines were made or how long they were in vogue. Manufacture, although probably ceasing in the 1860s, is known to have been discontinued before 1881, when a list of obsolete sewing machines was published in The Sewing Machine News. (Smithsonian photo P63199.)

Figure 77.—(New) Buckeye sewing machine of about 1875. The Buckeye machine was one of several manufactured by W. G. Wilson of Cleveland, Ohio. It was licensed under Johnson’s extended patent of April 18, 1867. Although it was small and hand turned, it used two threads and a shuttle to form a lockstitch. The machine was sufficiently popular for Wilson to introduce an improved model in the early 1870s, which he called the New Buckeye. W. G. Wilson continued to manufacture sewing machines until about the mid-eighties, although the Buckeye machines were discontinued in the seventies. (Smithsonian photo 45524-A.)

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.)

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.)

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.)

Figure 81.—Eureka sewing machine, 1859. An example of the many short-lived types of which no written record can be found, this particular machine was used as a patent model for certain minor improvements in 1859. It has the name “Eureka” painted on the top and the following inscription incised on the baster plate: “Eureka Shuttle S. M. Co. 469 Broadway, N.Y.” Although it is a shuttle machine, it carries no patent dates and was not included in the Howe royalty records. Neither is it listed in the obsolescence list published in 1881. The company probably could not pay its royalty fees and was forced out of business almost immediately. If this machine had not been used as a patent model, no record of the company’s existence might remain. It should be noted that as in most shuttle machines the head was meant to be set into a treadle-powered table. Since most tables are very similar, they are not required for identification. (Smithsonian photo 48328-C.)

Figure 82.—M. Finkle sewing machine, 1857. The M. Finkle machines were manufactured in 1856 and 1857. Sometime before or about 1859, the inventor, Milton Finkle, formed a partnership and the machines were subsequently called M. Finkle & Lyon and later simply Finkle & Lyon. In 1859 the machine was awarded a silver medal by the American Institute for producing superior manufacturing and family lockstitch sewing machines. It also won a silver medal in Boston in 1860 at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association Exhibition. Although the name of the machine was changed to Victor in 1867, the company name remained Finkle & Lyon until about 1872 when it was changed to Victor also. Victor machines were manufactured until about 1890.

Machines can be dated by their serial number approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-200 1856

201-450 1857

451-700 1858

701-950 1859

951-1500 1860

1501-3000 1861

3001-5000 1862

5001-7000 1863

7001-9000 1864

9001-11000 1865

11001-13000 1866

13001-15490 1867

15491-17490 1868

17491-18830 1869

18831-21250 1870

21251-28890 1871

28891-40790 1872

40791-48240 1873

48241-53530 1874

53531-59635 1875

59636-65385 1876

No estimates are available for the years 1877 to 1890. (Smithsonian photo 48216-A.)

Figure 83.—Florence sewing machine. The Florence machine was based on the patents of Leander W. Langdon, whose first patent was obtained in 1855. Langdon sewing machines were manufactured by the inventor for a few years. It was his patent of March 20, 1860, that was the immediate forerunner of the Florence machine, whose name was derived from the city of manufacture, Florence, Massachusetts. The Howe royalty records of 1860 listed the Florence Sewing Machine Co. as one that took out a license that year. Langdon’s patent of July 14, 1863, was incorporated into the machines manufactured after that date; however, the date is always incorrectly stamped “July 18, 1863.” In 1865, the machine won a silver medal at the Tenth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association.

Over 100,000 Florence machines were manufactured by 1870. About 1880 the company changed the name of the machine to Crown. Improvements led to the name New Crown by 1885. About this time the right to use the name Florence for a sewing machine was purchased by a midwestern firm for an entirely different machine. In 1885 the Florence company began to manufacture lamp stoves and heating stoves and shortly thereafter they discontinued the manufacture of sewing machines.

Using the serial numbers, Florence machines can be dated approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-500 1860

501-2000 1861

2001-8000 1862

8001-20000 1863

20001-35000 1864

35001-50000 1865

50001-60000 1866

60001-70534 1867

70535-82534 1868

82535-96195 1869

96196-113855 1870

113856-129802 1871

129803-145592 1872

145593-154555 1873

154556-160072 1874

160073-164964 1875

164965-167942 1876

No record of the number of machines produced each year between 1877 and 1885 is available.

The machine shown here, serial number 49131, was manufactured in 1865. It is stamped with the following patent dates: “Oct. 30, 1855, Mar. 20, 1860, Jan. 22, 1861, and July 18, 1863” and the Wilson patent date “Nov. 12, 1850.” The machines from 1860-1863 are marked with the early Langdon patents, excluding the 1863 one, and they have the additional patent dates of Howe and others: “Sept. 10, 1846, Nov. 12, 1850, Aug. 12, 1851, May 30, 1854, Dec. 19, 1854, Nov. 4, 1856.” (Smithsonian photo 45572-A.)

Figure 84.—Globe sewing machine. J. G. Folsom received two design patents in 1864, one on March 1 for a spool holder and one on May 17 for the basic style of the machine. Also in the same year, he was awarded a mechanical patent for an adjustment in the lower looper that would accommodate a change in needle size. Using these patents, he manufactured a single-thread, chainstitch machine, the Globe. Folsom also exhibited his machines at the Tenth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association in 1865. The Globe attracted particular attention and was awarded a silver medal.

In 1866 Folsom devised a new treadle attachment for hand-operated machines; the invention was featured in Scientific American, volume 14, number 17, with a Globe machine. Folsom again exhibited at the Massachusetts Mechanics exhibition in 1869. In addition to an improved single-thread Globe, he also showed a double-thread, elastic-stitch (double chainstitch) machine for which he received a silver medal.

Folsom machines were manufactured until 1871; 280 machines were manufactured in that year.

The Globe sewing machine illustrated is stamped “J. G. Folsom, Maker, Winchendon, Mass. Patented April 28, 1863 [Ketchum’s patent], Mar. 1, 1864. May 17, 1864.” The machine was manufactured before November 1864 or it would include the patent for the lower loop adjustment. (Smithsonian photo 48216-H.)

Note: At least five sewing machines, those in figures 84 through 89, are similar enough in appearance to cause some confusion, because their basic design stems from a short pillar.

Figure 85.—Globe sewing machine with treadle attachment as illustrated in Scientific American, April 21, 1866. (Smithsonian photo 48221-A.)

Figure 86.—Empire sewing machine, late 1860s. Although an Empire Sewing Machine Co. existed in New York in the 1860s (the predecessor of the Remington-Empire Co.), it is not known whether this machine was manufactured by that same company, which was primarily concerned with producing shuttle machines. This chainstitch machine is marked “Empire Co., Patented April 23, 1863,” the date referring again to Ketchum’s patent. It is very similar to Folsom’s Globe, except that it has claw feet rather than a closed base; the painted designs on the base of both are almost identical to those on the Monitor. Its spool holder, mounted in reverse, is a crude imitation of the Folsom patent. The Empire machines were probably manufactured about the same time as the Wilson machine. (Photo courtesy of The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan.)

Figure 87.—Atwater sewing machine, 1858. Atwater machines, based on the patent of B. Atwater, issued May 5, 1857, were manufactured from 1857 to about 1860. The machine illustrated, which is designed to be operated by a hand-turned wheel, has an upper forked dog feed, and its horizontally supported spool is directly over the stitching area. Like the others, it has a striated pillar and claw feet. The manufacturer is unknown. (Smithsonian photo P63200.)

Figure 88.—Monitor sewing machine, 1860-1866. The Monitor machines of this style were not marked by their manufacturers, Shaw & Clark of Biddeford, Maine. Later the company was forced by the “Combination” to pay a royalty, so it changed the style and began marking its machines with the company name and patent dates (see fig. 119 for copy of seal). The Monitor, which employed the conventional vertical spindle to hold the spool of thread, had a top feed in the form of a walking presser. Its striated pillar was similar to that of the Atwater machine, and both featured the same claw feet and urn-like top. Unlike the Atwater, however, the Monitor had a double drive from the hand-turned wheel, which was grooved for operation with belt and treadle. (Smithsonian photo 33458.)

Figure 89.—Wilson sewing machine, late 1860s to early 1870s. In addition to the Buckeye (see fig. 77), W. G. Wilson manufactured several other styles of sewing machines. This one, a combination of the varying styles of the earlier pillar machine has even duplicated the general style of the spool holder patented by Folsom. The pillar is not striated, but the machine does repeat the claw feet of the Atwater and Monitor machines. Wilson machines are usually marked “Wilson Sewing Mach. Manuf’g Co. Cleveland, Ohio, Ketchum’s Patent April 28, 1863.” The latter name and/or patent date are found on many of the machines of this general construction. The patent is that issued to Stephen C. Ketchum for his method of converting rotary motion into reciprocal motion. (Photo courtesy of The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan.)

Figure 90.—Grant Brothers sewing machine, 1867. This machine was one of several styles that utilized Raymond’s 1861 patented chainstitch method. This machine, however, used an under feed rather than a top feed.

Neither a name nor a date appears on the machine. In the June 25, 1907, issue of the Sewing Machine Times it was called the Common Sense machine, but detailed research has turned up no evidence to substantiate this name. However, a dated brochure advertising the Grant Brothers machine and showing a model identical to that illustrated in the Sewing Machine Times has been found. The brochure states that the machine made an elastic lockstitch; this was not a true lockstitch, however, but was in fact a simple chainstitch.

Grant Brothers sold their machine, which had silver-plated mountings, for $18; the price included hemmer, Barnum’s self-sewer, oilcan, screwdriver, clamp, gauge, and four silver needles. An additional charge of $12 was made for a table and treadle. Compared to other chainstitch machines the price was high, and the company was short-lived. (Smithsonian photo 60794-E.)

Figure 91.—Greenman and True sewing machine. This lockstitch machine based on S. H. Roper’s patent of 1857 was manufactured at Norwich, Connecticut, from 1859 to 1861 by Cyrus B. True, the inventor, and Jared F. Greenman, True’s financial partner. Licensed by the “Combination” and carrying the Howe patent date, the machine had obvious merit: it was strong, well made—a good family machine. Exhibited at the Ninth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association in September 1860, it received a bronze medal. (At this time the company was listed as Morse and True—the inventor had obviously taken on a second financial backer.) Unfortunately, the best market for the machine lay in the South, and the outbreak of the Civil War made collections impossible. This greatly retarded business and finally drove the firm into bankruptcy. In all, it is doubtful that more than one thousand machines were produced in the three years of manufacture.

The machine illustrated is marked “Greenman and True” and bears the serial number 402; it was probably manufactured early in 1860. (Smithsonian photo 48216-N.)

Figure 92.—Grover and Baker sewing machine. The Grover and Baker machine was one of the more popular machines from the 1850s until the early 1870s. The company produced iron-frame machines, fine cabinet models, and portables (figs. 35 and 36). Their machines may be dated by serial number approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-500 1851

501-1000 1852

1001-1658 1853

1659-3893 1854

3894-5038 1855

5039-7000 1856

7001-10681 1857

10682-15752 1858

15753-26033 1859

26034-44869 1860

44870-63705 1861

63706-82641 1862

82642-101477 1863

101478-120313 1864

120314-139148 1865

139149-157886 1866

157887-190886 1867

190887-225886 1868

225887-261004 1869

261005-338407 1870

338408-389246 1871

389247-441257 1872

441258-477437 1873

477438-497438 1874

497439-512439 1875

(Smithsonian photo 45513-B, an engraving of a Grover and Baker sewing machine from an advertising brochure of about 1870.)

Figure 93.—Hancock sewing machine, 1867. One of the many inventors who turned his talents to inventing and producing a mechanically simple and cheaper machine was Henry J. Hancock. His 1867 machine is only about six inches wide; it uses a tambour-type needle, pulling a loop of thread from below the stitching surface. (Smithsonian photo P63197.)

Figure 94.—Hancock sewing machine, 1868. Hancock in 1868 received both a design patent and a mechanical patent now using the eye-pointed needle and a hook to form the chainstitch. The design was an open framework circle with a mirror mounted in front of the table clamp. The purpose of the designated “looking glass” was decorative only. The Hancock machines were only manufactured for a few years. They measure 10-1/2 inches in width, slightly larger than the earlier machine. (Smithsonian photo 48328-M.)

Figure 95.—[A.C.] Herron’s patent sewing machine, 1858. The manufacturer of this machine is not known, but the machine was based on the patent of Abial C. Herron issued August 4, 1857. All the machines carry a small heart-shaped plate just above the needle descent bearing the patentee’s name and the patent date. The patent covered an improvement in the method of making the chainstitch. The machines were provided with a hand crank, but were also meant to be operated by a belt and treadle. No records of the extent of manufacture of this machine have been found. This machine head measures 14 inches in width, about standard size. (Smithsonian photo 48329-J.)

Figure 96.—A. B. Howe sewing machine of about 1860. (Smithsonian photo 45525-C.)

Figures 96, 97, and 98.—The Howe machines. It is difficult for many to believe that the stamped legend “Elias Howe patent, Sept. 10, 1846” does not certify that a machine is an original Howe. Although Elias Howe was granted a patent for the lockstitch machine in 1846, he did not establish a sewing-machine factory for about twenty years. Early in the 1850s and later through the “Combination,” however, he licensed others to make machines using his patent. These machines bore that patent date for which a royalty was being paid.

Among his early licensees was his elder brother Amasa who organized the Howe Sewing Machine Co. in 1854. The Amasa Howe machines were very good ones, and in 1862 Amasa won the prize medal at the London International Exhibition. This immensely increased the popularity of the machine and Elias offered to join Amasa by building a large factory at Bridgeport, Connecticut, to fill the increasing demand for more machines. The machines produced at Bridgeport, however, although imitating the Amasa Howe machines, proved inferior in quality. Amasa found that, rather than helping his business reputation, his brother’s efforts were hurting him, and he severed business relations with Elias.

Because of their brief association, the 1862 prize medal awarded to A. B. Howe was sometimes credited to Elias. The latter did receive awards for his patent, but never for his manufactured machines. When the two brothers dissolved their joint venture, Elias attempted to call his new company the Howe Sewing Machine Co., but Amasa’s claim that this name had been his exclusive property for many years was upheld by the courts. Elias then omitted the word “Sewing” and called his company simply the Howe Machine Co.

After Elias died in 1867, the company was run by his sons-in-law, the Stockwell brothers. To distinguish their machines from those of A. B. Howe, they marked each machine with a brass medallion picturing the head and flowing locks of Elias Howe. They also continued to advertise their machine as the “original” Howe. In about 1873, B. P. Howe, Amasa’s son, sold the Howe Sewing Machine Co. to the Stockwell brothers, who continued to manufacture Howe machines until 1886.

The machines of the A. B. Howe Sewing Machine Co. may be dated by serial number approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-60 1854

61-113 1855

114-166 1856

167-299 1857

300-478 1858

479-1399 1859

No figures are available for 1860-1870, but 20,051 machines were manufactured in 1871.

The machines of the [Elias] Howe Machine Co. are not believed to have begun with serial number 1, and no figures are available for 1865-1867. After that, the machines may be dated by serial number approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

11,000-46,000 1868

46,001-91,843 1869

91,844-167,000 1870

167,001-301,010 1871

301,011-446,010 1872

446,011-536,010 1873

536,011-571,010 1874

571,011-596,010 1875

596,011-705,304 1876

No figures are available for 1877-1886.

Figure 97.—Advertising brochure distributed by E. Howe during the brothers’ brief partnership; the machines are basically A. B. Howe machines, 1863. (Smithsonian photo 49373-A.)

Figure 98.—Howe (Stockwell brothers) machine, 1870. (Smithsonian photo 45572-E.)

Figure 99.—Patent Model Of Christopher Hodgkins, November 2, 1852, assigned to Nehemiah Hunt. (Smithsonian photo 34551.)

Figures 99, 100, and 101.—The N. Hunt (later, in 1856, Hunt & Webster and finally in 1858 Ladd and Webster) sewing machine was based on the patents of Christopher Hodgkins, November 2, 1852, and May 9, 1854, both of which were assigned to Nehemiah Hunt. First manufactured in 1853, the machine, which closely resembled the Hodgkins’ patent, won a silver medal at the exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association that same year.

In 1856 Hunt took a partner, and the company became Hunt & Webster. An interesting account of this company appeared as a feature article in Ballou’s Pictorial, July 5, 1856, where it was reported that “the North American Shoe Company have over fifty of the latest improved machines, represented in these drawings [fig. 31], now running....” The article also estimated that a 55-million dollar increase in shoe manufacturing in Massachusetts in 1855 was due to the sewing machine. In 1856 the Hunt & Webster machine again won a silver medal at the exhibition. Very late in 1858 the company became Ladd, Webster, & Co. and continued to manufacture both family and manufacturing sewing machines until the mid-1860s.

The approximate date of manufacture can be determined by serial number:

Serial Number Year

1-100 1853

101-368 1854

369-442 1855

443-622 1856

623-1075 1857

1076-1565 1858

1566-3353 1859

No figures are available for the 1860s.

Figure 100.—Right: Hunt & Webster sewing machine of about 1855, serial number 414. (Smithsonian photo 48216-V.)

Figure 101.—Ladd, Webster & Co. sewing machine of about 1858, Boston, serial number 1497. (Smithsonian photo 46953.)

Figure 102.—Improved Common Sense sewing machine of about 1870. This machine is so very similar to the New England machines in its feed, threading, looping mechanism, and in its general design, that it is sometimes mistaken for the earlier New England machines (see figs. 112 and 113).

Dating from the early 1870s, the Improved Common Sense machine is about 10 inches in width, two inches larger than the New England machine. The spool holder is similar to Folsom’s patented design, but is less refined. A page from an advertising brochure of the period verifies the name of the machine, but does not identify the manufacturer.

There are no patent dates or identifying names or numbers on the machine illustrated. Although the Empire Co. also produced a machine of this style, their models are marked with their name and with Ketchum’s patent date, April 23, 1863. Of the several styles of machine using the Raymond looper, this type seems to account for the largest volume manufactured, as evidenced by the proportionately higher number of examples still extant. (Smithsonian photo 48328-E.)

Figure 103.—Johnson sewing machine, 1857. Another of the all-but-forgotten manufacturers of the 1850s was Emery, Houghton & Co., who constructed the A.F. Johnson machines. Examination of existing machines indicates that they were manufactured in 1856 and 1857, and possibly a little longer. This one from 1857 bears the serial number 624, so we know that several hundred were manufactured. The head is ornately attractive, slightly reminiscent of Wheeler & Wilson models, and of standard size. (Smithsonian photo 48329-B.)

Figure 104.—“Lady” sewing machine of about 1859. The contemporary name of this machine is unknown. The unusual design of the head, or main support, is based in part on the design patent, number 216, of Isaac F. Baker, issued April 10, 1849, for a “new and useful design[,] for ornamenting furniture[,] called Cora Munro” who was a character in James Fenimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans. The design shows a female figure wearing a riding dress and hat that is ornamented with a plume and a bow. Her right hand holds a riding stick and the left, her skirt. Trunks of trees and foliage complete the Baker design, which is known to have been used for girandoles of the period. A companion design was also patented by Baker, number 215, which is in the form of a man in military costume and is named “Major Heyward,” for another character in Last of the Mohicans.

The sewing machines based on the “Cora Munro” design also use branch designs as the overhanging arms. A mother bird sits in the upper branch and descends to feed a young bird as the machine is in operation. The one illustrated was used as the machine submitted with a request for patent by George Hensel of New York City for which patent 24,737 was issued on July 12, 1859. Since Hensel’s patent application was for an improvement in the feed, there was no need for the highly decorative head unless such a machine was commercially available. The patent specifications merely state that the head is “ornamented.” Another sewing machine of this type was used as the patent model by Sidney Parker of Sing Sing, New York, number 24,780, issued on the same date as the Hensel patent. Parker’s patent also covered an improved feeding mechanism. In the patent description, however, the inventor states that “the general form of the machine is not unlike others now in use.” By this he might have meant in the design, or possibly in the basic structural form. Other than the two machines described, no other examples are known to have survived, but “Lady” or “Cora Munro” sewing machines were manufactured. (Smithsonian photo 45506-D.)

Figure 105.—Landfear’s Patent Sewing Machine of about 1857. Another of the many machines that, except for isolated examples, have almost completely disappeared from the records is Landfear’s machine. Fortunately, this manufacturer marked his machine—where many did not—stamping it: “Landfear’s patent-Decr 1856, No. 262, W. H. Johnson’s Patent Feb. 26th 1856, Manfrd by Parkers, Snow, Brooks & Co., West Meriden, Conn.” (There was a Parker sewing machine manufactured by the Charles Parker Co. of Meriden, but his machine was a double-thread chainstitch machine and was licensed by the “Combination.” The Landfear machine may have been an earlier attempt by a predecessor or closely related company.)

The Landfear patent was for a shuttle machine, but it also included a mode for regulating stitch length. The name chosen for this machine may be incorrect, since the single-thread chainstitch mechanism is primarily that of W. H. Johnson, but since the Johnson patent also was used on other machines the name “Landfear” was assigned. The machine was probably another attempt to evade royalty payment to the “Combination.”

The serial number 262 indicates that at least that many machines were manufactured, although this model is the only one known to be in existence. The support arm of the machine head is iron, cast as a vase of flowers and painted in natural colors. The paint on the head is original, but the table has been refinished, and the iron legs, which had rusted, have been repainted. (Smithsonian photo 48440-G.)

Figure 106.—Lathrop sewing machine of about 1873. These machines were manufactured by the Lathrop Combination Sewing Machine Co. under the patents of Lebbeus W. Lathrop of 1869, 1870, and 1873. The machine used two threads, both taken from spools; moreover, it produced not only the double chainstitch, but it was constructed to produce also a lockstitch and a combined “lock and chain stitch.” The machine illustrated bears the serial number 31 and the patent dates of Grover & Baker, and Bachelder among others, in addition to the first two Lathrop patent dates. The company lasted only a few years as it is included in the 1881 list of manufacturers that had ceased to exist. (Smithsonian photo 46953-F.)

Figures 107 and 108.—The Nichols and Leavitt sewing machines. One of Elias Howe’s earliest licensees was J. B. Nichols. His machine, manufactured at first with George Bliss and later alone as J. B. Nichols & Co., was called Howe’s Improved Patent Sewing Machine. It was, however, no more a Howe machine than any of the others produced under the Howe patent.

In July 1855 Nichols went into partnership with Rufus Leavitt, and the company name changed to Nichols, Leavitt & Co. In 1857 it was changed again to Leavitt & Co., and finally in the mid-1860s to Leavitt Sewing Machine Co. By the 1870s, it was defunct.

The Nichols-Leavitt machines can be dated by their serial numbers approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year Company

1-28 1853 Nichols & Bliss

29-245 1854 J. B. Nichols & Co.

246-397 1855 J. B. Nichols & Co.—Nichols, Leavitt & Co.

398-632 1856 Nichols, Leavitt & Co.

633-827 1857 Leavitt & Co.

828-902 1858 ”

903-1115 1859 ”

1116-1436 1860 ”

1437-1757 1861 ”

1758-2077 1862 ”

2078-2400 1863 ”

2401-2900 1864 ”

2901-3900 1865 Leavitt Sewing Machine Co.

3901-4900 1866 ”

4901-5951 1867 ”

5952-6951 1868 ”

6952-7722 1869 ”

There is no record that the company was in existence after 1869.

Figures 112 and 113.—New England sewing machines. The small, hand-turned, sewing machines some of which were called Common Sense, were manufactured by at least three companies and possibly more. The earliest ones were those made by Nettleton & Raymond based on Charles Raymond’s patent of March 9, 1858, which featured a hinged presser foot acting as the top feed. On July 30, 1861, Raymond received a patent for an improved looper; this date is found on all machines later manufactured by the inventor.

In 1858 Nettleton and Raymond had moved from Bristol, Connecticut, to Brattleboro, Vermont. Also in Brattleboro at this time were Thomas H. White and Samuel Barker, who were manufacturing a small machine called the Brattleboro. White left Vermont in 1862 and went to Massachusetts. There, in partnership with William Grout, he also began to manufacture New England machines; these were basically the same as the Raymond machines. After a short time, Grout left the partnership with White and moved to Winchendon, there continuing to make New England machines for approximately one more year. In 1865, J. G. Folsom of Winchendon exhibited a New England machine at the Tenth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association along with his Globe machine. Whether both machines were manufactured by him or whether he might have been exhibiting one of Grout’s machines is not known.

There is no record that New England machines were manufactured after 1865. There is a great similarity between these machines and the Improved Common Sense sewing machines of the 1870s. It is believed that the name “Common Sense” was given by frugal New Englanders to several of the cheaper chainstitch machines of the 1860s.

Figures 114 and 115.—Pratt’s patent and the Ladies Companion sewing machine. The machines manufactured under the patents of Samuel F. Pratt were first sold in 1857 and 1858 as Pratt’s patent. These machines carry the Pratt name and the patent dates “Feb. 3, 1857 Mar. 3;” the latter is an 1857 patent date also. In 1859 the Pratt machine was called the Ladies Companion and was so marked. It was also marked with the 1857 patent dates, the date February 16, 1858, and a serial number, and was stamped “Boston, Mass.” Manufacture was discontinued after a few years.

Figures 117 and 118.—Robinson and Roper sewing machines, 1855-1856. This is one of the few machines producing a backstitch or half backstitch to realize any commercial success. Manufactured a very short time by Howard & Davis, it was a short-thread machine, based on the Frederick Robinson patent of December 10, 1850, and the Samuel Roper patent of August 15, 1854. Roper produced additional improvements for which he received a patent on November 4, 1856. In the Scientific American, November 1, 1856, the new machine was discussed: “Robinson & Roper exhibit their new improved sewing machines, which appear to operate with great success. Two needles are employed, the points of which are furnished with hooks that alternately catch the thread and form the stitch. The finest kind of cotton thread or silk can be used. The work appears well done. Price $100.”

Figures 119 and 120.—Shaw & Clark sewing machines. In addition to the early style Monitor sewing machine sold by Shaw & Clark without a name or any identifying marks, the company continued to manufacture machines after a lawsuit with the “Combination” forced them to take out a license. They manufactured an adapted version of their Monitor and an entirely new design patented in 1861. Their machines were now marked with the company name and a list of patent dates including those of Howe, Wheeler and Wilson, Grover and Baker, and Singer and the Batchelder patent, together with their own design patents. In 1867 the company moved from Biddeford, Maine, to Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. In the same year, they began manufacturing a machine of the design patented by T. C. Page. The company is believed to have become the Chicopee Sewing Machine Company which appeared the following year and remained in business only a very short time. One Chicopee sewing machine is in the Smithsonian collection.

Figures 121 and 122.—Singer sewing machines. From 1850 to 1858 the Singer company produced heavy manufacturing-type sewing machines similar to the patent model shown earlier (fig. 28). The first machine for family use, Singer’s new “Family” sewing machine (fig. 33) was manufactured from 1858-1861. Their second-style family machine was called the “Traverse Shuttle Machine—Letter A;” it was manufactured from 1859 to 1865, when they introduced their third family machine and called it the “New Family” sewing machine. This style machine continued until about 1883 when the “Improved Family” machine appeared. In addition to the lockstitch machines, Singer also manufactured chainstitch machines, and many highly specialized manufacturing machines.

From 1857 through the 1880s, the Singer machines were marked with two serial numbers. It is possible that the numbers were related to the “Combination” royalties paid by the Singer company. Until about 1873 there was a difference of exactly 4,000 in the two numbers, thus one machine would be marked 12163 and directly below it would be marked 16163. From 1873 the last three digits of the two numbers continued to be the same but the lower number might be much lower in value than either number used in earlier years. The larger number is believed to have been a record of total production while the lower number may have referred to a machine of a particular style. The Singer company records can shed no light on the meaning of the top (or lower of the two) serial numbers. Generally, in the earlier machines, the difference in the two numbers will not affect the dating of a machine by more than one year. Since dating by serial number can only be estimated, the two numbers do not add an appreciable variable prior to 1873. Only the larger number, however, should be considered in dating machines after 1873.

Serial Number Year

1-100 1850

101-900 1851

901-1711 1852

1712-2521 1853

2522-3400 1854

3401-4283 1855

4284-6847 1856

6848-10477 1857

10478-14071 1858

14072-25024 1859

25025-43000 1860

43001-61000 1861

61001-79396 1862

79397-99426 1863

99427-123058 1864

123059-149399 1865

149400-180360 1866

180361-223414 1867

223415-283044 1868

283045-369826 1869

369827-497660 1870

497661-678921 1871

678922-898680 1872

898681-1121125 1873

1121126-1362805 1874

1362806-1612658 1875

1612659-1874975 1876

Since records of annual production from 1877 to the turn of the century are not complete, it is difficult to establish yearly approximations. Using the machines submitted as patent models, and thus known to have been manufactured before the date of deposit, however, has provided us with the following date guides. By 1877 there had been 2 million machines manufactured, 3 million by 1880, 4 million by 1882, 5 million by 1884, 6 million by 1886, 7 million by 1888, 8 million by 1889, 9 million by 1890, and 10 million by 1891.

Figures 124 and 125.—Taggart & Farr sewing machine, 1860. The Taggart & Farr is an almost forgotten machine. It was based on Chester Farr’s patent of August 9, 1859. The machine, however, was in commercial production as early as 1858, the year the patent application was made. Using two threads—both taken directly from the spool—to form a chainstitch, the machine was operated basically by treadle but also by hand. The drive wheel is missing on this machine, but it would normally appear on the right.

The name and patent date were painted on the end of the machine. This was true of many other machines of this period, which is why so many go unidentified once the paint has become worn. Several thousand Taggart & Farr machines were manufactured, but the company is believed to have had a short life, for it was among those that had disappeared by 1881.

Figure 127.—West & Willson sewing machine of about 1859. The West & Willson machine, manufactured under the patent of H. B. West and H. F. Willson, enjoyed a very brief span of popularity. The patent covered the peculiar method of operating a spring-looper in combination with an eye-pointed needle to form a single chainstitch, but whether machines of this single-thread variety were manufactured is unknown. The machine illustrated here is a two-thread machine of basically the same description. It stitches from left to right and bears serial number 1544 and the inscription “West & Willson Co. patented June 29, 1858.” (Smithsonian photo 49456-A.)

Figures 128 and 129.—Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines. The Wheeler and Wilson company was the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the 1850s and the 1860s.

It began in 1851 as A. B. Wilson; from 1852 to 1856 it was the Wheeler, Wilson & Co., Watertown, Connecticut; and from 1856 to 1876, it was Wheeler & Wilson Mfg. Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The style of the head changed very little during these years (see figs. 26 and 27). Both a table style with iron legs and a cabinet model were made: the head was usually mounted to stitch from left to right. In 1861, the company introduced the famous glass presser foot, patented on March 5 of that year by J. L. Hyde. The presser foot was made of metal but shaped like an open _ into which was slid a small glass plate, with a hole for the needle descent. The glass allowed the seamstress to observe the stitching and to produce very close-edge stitching. It remained a favorite of many women for years. In 1876, the new No. 8 machine was introduced and a new series of serial numbers was initiated. It is, therefore, imperative to know that the machine is one of the earlier style machines before using the following list of serial numbers to date the machines, approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-200 1851

201-650 1852

651-1449 1853

1450-2205 1854

2206-3376 1855

3377-5586 1856

5587-10177 1857

10178-18155 1858

18156-39461 1859

39462-64563 1860

64564-83119 1861

83120-111321 1862

111322-141099 1863

141100-181161 1864

181161-220318 1865

220319-270450 1866

270451-308505 1867

308506-357856 1868

357857-436722 1869

436723-519930 1870

519931-648456 1871

648457-822545 1872

822546-941735 1873

941736-1034563 1874

1034564-1318303 1875

1138304-1247300 1876

Records of the second series of serial numbers dating from 1876 are not available.

Figure 130.—White Sewing Machine. Although the White sewing machines date from 1876, Thomas H. White had been busy in the manufacture of sewing machines for many years prior to this. White is known to have been associated with Barker in the manufacture of the Brattleboro machine and later with Grout in producing one of the several New England machines. In 1866 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and began manufacturing machines for sale under special trade names through selling organizations. In 1876, the White Sewing Machine Company was formed and machines were sold under the White name.

The machine illustrated is a standard lockstitch machine, which would have been set into a sewing-machine table and operated by a treadle. The small handle was used to start the wheel, and thus the stitching operation, in the forward direction. This machine bears the serial number 28241 and the following patents: “Mar. 14, 1876, May 2, 1876, Oct. 24, 1876, Jan. 16, 1877, Mar. 20, 1877, Mar. 27, 1877,” which are primarily the patents of D’Arcy Porter and George W. Baker.

The machines of the 1870s may be dated approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-9000 1876

9000-27000 1877

27001-45000 1878

45001-63000 1879

(Smithsonian photo 58986.)

Figure 131.—Willcox And Gibbs sewing machine, serial number 296572, of about 1878. From 1857 to the turn of the century, the style of the Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine changed very little (fig. 39). It was the most popular and the most reliable of the many chainstitch machines. In addition to the basic mechanical patents, Gibbs also patented the design of the sewing-machine head in 1860. In the specifications, he described it as an open ring set on a base or pedestal. The lower part of the open section supported the cloth plate. The design of the head, intentionally or not, formed a perfect letter G, the initial of the inventor. Later the machine head as a letter G was incorporated into the company’s trademark. Additional patents were also granted to James Willcox for a leg and treadle design and to Charles Willcox for mechanical improvements.

It has not been possible to secure information on records of serial numbers from the late 1870s through the 1920s to aid in dating machines of that period. For the preceding years, however, the machines may be dated approximately as follows:

Serial Number Year

1-10000 1857

10001-20000 1858

20001-30000 1859

30001-40000 1860

40001-50000 1861

50001-60000 1862

60001-70000 1863

70001-80000 1864

80001-90000 1865

90001-100000 1866

100001-115000 1867

115001-130000 1868

130001-145000 1869

145001-160000 1870

160001-190127 1871

190128-223766 1872

223767-239647 1873

239648-253357 1874

253358-267879 1875

267880-279637 1876

Although the Willcox and Gibbs company is still in existence, for the past several decades the company has limited itself to the production of specialized manufacturing machines rather than family machines. (Smithsonian photo 58986.)

Figure 132.—Illustration from Knights American Mechanical Dictionary, vol. 3, p. 2122. The 68 sewing-machine stitches in use by 1882 are as follows:

Single Thread

1. Running stitch.

2. Back stitch.

3. Fast stitch.

4. Chainstitch.

5. Coiled-loop chainstitch.

6. Knitted-loop chainstitch.

7. Knotted-loop chainstitch.

8. Loop enchained by second alternate stitch.

9. Each loop locks and enchains alternate loops.

10. Staple stitch (for waxed threads only).

Two Threads

11. Double-needle chainstitch.

12. Double-thread chainstitch (one needle).

13. Double-looped chainstitch.

14. Chain with interlocking thread.

15. Under-thread through its own loop.

16. Two needles penetrate fabric from opposite sides.

17. Two needles working from the same side.

18. Double interlocking loop.

19. Lockstitch.

20. Twist in needle thread.

21. Double twist in needle thread.

22. Twist in shuttle thread.

23. Double twist in shuttle thread.

24. Knot stitch, shuttle thread knotted at every stitch.

25. Knot stitch, shuttle thread knotted at every other stitch.

26. Knot stitch, shuttle thread through the needle thread loop and knotted around the loop.

27. Shuttle thread pulled to the surface and interlocked with succeeding stitch to form an embroidery stitch.

28. Wire-lock stitch, thread locked in place with wire.

Three Threads

29. Two shuttles, each locking alternate loops.

30. Double loop with interlocking third thread.

31. Two shuttle threads, both locking each loop.

32. Two shuttle threads intertwining and locking each loop.

33. Single thread; loop of needle thread drawn up over the edge and locked by needle at its next descent.

34. Two threads; loops of needle thread, above and below, extend to the edge of the fabric, and are locked by shuttle thread.

35. Two threads; needle penetrates back from edge, its loop passed to and interlocked by the needle at its next descent over the edge, and this second needle-loop locked by shuttle thread.

36. Two threads; shuttle thread drawn up over the edge of the fabric to the line of the needle thread.

37. Two threads; needle loop through the fabric locked by needle loop over the edge and second loop locked by second thread.

38. Two threads; edge of fabric covered by shuttle thread.

39. Three threads; third thread laid around the stitch at the edge of the fabric.

Ornamental Stitches

40. Zigzag; single thread chainstitch (4).

41. Zigzag; two-thread lockstitch (19).

42. Zigzag; two-thread chainstitch (13).

43. Zigzag; chain stitch with interlocking thread (14).

44. Zigzag; double loop with interlocking third thread (30).

45. Zigzag; running stitch (1).

46. Zigzag; two needles and shuttle.

47. Zigzag; variation of 46.

48-52. Zigzag stitches for sewing straw braid.

53-62. Straight straw-braid stitches.

63-67. Special embroidery stitches.

68. Saddler’s stitch.

In the Sewing Machine News, vol. 3, no. 5, p. 12 (1881), there were listed a number of then “defunct” machines and companies. Among these are many well-known names and little-known names for which at least one additional reference can be found. There are some, however, for which this is the only reference to date. These are: Blanchard, Babcock, Banner, Brown Rotary, Cottage, Cole, Duplex, Economist, Erie, Gutman, Hill, Hancock & Bennett, Jenks, Lockmar, La Favorite, Learned, Leggett, McCoy, McCardy, Medallion, McArthur & Co., Monopoly, Moreau, Mack, Niagra, New Cannaan, Orphean, Pride-of-the-West, Seamen & Guiness, Surprise, Stackpole, Shanks, Stanford, Troy, Utica, United States Family, Weaver, Wagner, and Williams. Some of these names may have been a “special” name given to machines manufactured by one of the known companies, but at least a few are names of machines manufactured for a very short time prior to 1881 about which we would like to know more.