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._)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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._)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: Figure 98.--HOWE (STOCKWELL BROTHERS) MACHINE, 1870.
(Smithsonian photo 45572-E.)]
[Illustration: 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.
[Illustration: Figure 100.--RIGHT: HUNT & WEBSTER sewing machine of
about 1855, serial number 414. (Smithsonian photo 48216-V.)]
[Illustration: Figure 101.--LADD, WEBSTER & CO. sewing machine of about
1858, Boston, serial number 1497. (Smithsonian photo 46953.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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-Dec^r 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: Figure 107.--ILLUSTRATION FROM A BROCHURE, marked in ink:
"The National Portrait Gallery, 1855." Singer Archives. (Smithsonian
photo 48091-E.)]
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.
[Illustration: Figure 108.--LEAVITT SEWING MACHINE of about 1868, serial
number 6907. (Smithsonian photo 48328.)]
[Illustration: Figure 109.--LESTER SEWING MACHINE of about 1858. The
Lester machine was first manufactured by J. H. Lester in Brooklyn, New
York. His machine was based on the patents of William Johnson, John
Bradshaw and others but not on the patents held by the "Combination,"
although he had secured a license. When the Old Dominion Company applied
for a license from the "Combination," Lester learned of this, went to
Richmond, and arranged to combine his business with theirs. Since the
Lester machine was the better one, it was agreed to cease the
manufacture of the Old Dominion machines early in 1860 and in March the
company name was changed to the Lester Mfg. Co. Late in 1860, George
Sloat entered the company with his Elliptic machine; the name was
changed again, this time to Union Sewing Machine Co. The manufacture of
both sewing machines continued until the outbreak of the Civil War the
following year, which brought a conversion to arms production. The
manufacture of Lester machines was never resumed.
The machine illustrated was manufactured by J. H. Lester in Brooklyn; it
bears the serial number 96. The number of Lester machines manufactured
from 1858 through 1861 is not known, but it was probably less than
1,000. (Smithsonian photo P63359.)]
[Illustration: Figure 110.--NE PLUS ULTRA of about 1867. Another of the
interesting hand-turned chainstitch machines of the late 1850s and 1860s
was patented by O.L. Reynolds. The baster plates and the handle on the
wheel are missing on this machine, but an interesting shield and
draped-flag pattern is painted on the base.
Another machine of this type has the following inscription stamped on
the baster plate: "Ne Plus Ultra, Patent Applied For, 174, O.L.
Reynolds, Patentee & Manufacturer, Dover N.H." Reynold's patent model,
March 30, 1858, bears the serial number 110, indicating that the machine
illustrated here--which bears the serial number 26--was manufactured
before the patent was obtained. (Smithsonian photo 48216-F.)]
[Illustration: Figure 111.--NETTLETON & RAYMOND SEWING MACHINE. One of
the most ornate of the early, small, hand-turned sewing machines was
patented and manufactured by Willford H. Nettleton and Charles Raymond
whose first patent was received on April 14, 1857. The patent model,
believed to be a commercial machine, is beautifully silver-plated.
Whether this was a special one-of-a-kind model, or whether the inventors
tried to make a commercial success of a silver-plated machine is not
known. The machine made a two-thread chainstitch, taking both threads
from commercial spools. By October 1857, the inventors had received
their second patent. This time the machine was brass and gilt--brighter,
but less expensive. At the same time, Nettleton & Raymond began
manufacturing sewing-shears machines under the patent of J. E.
Hendricks.
By the latter half of 1858, Nettleton & Raymond had moved from Bristol,
Connecticut, to Brattleboro, Vermont. The patented improvement of the
two-thread chainstitch machine received that year was in the name of
"Raymond, assignor to Nettleton," although the machines of this type
bear neither name nor patent date. No record of the price for which they
were sold has been found, but it would be fair to estimate that it was
probably about $25. This style of machine was discontinued when the
manufacture of the simpler, more profitable New England model began, a
machine that Raymond had initiated just before the partners left
Bristol. (Smithsonian photo 45505-E.)]
[Illustration: Figure 112.--RAYMOND PATENT MODEL, March 9, 1858.
(Smithsonian photo 32009-O.)]