The Home Beautiful: A Sewing Machine, 1880

Sewing Machine, 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This gorgeous creation had a decidedly practical purpose as a sewing machine. Made of cast iron, it is japanned in black and gold, with a label, engraved:  “The arm and platform machine London E.Ward's patent.” The side facing the sewer is heavily ornamented while the reverse is plain.

This machine was made in Great Britain around 1880.  The fact that it’s so attractive owes to the ingenuity of the age.  After all, the function of the machine does not lend itself to beauty.  It’s an irregular shape of an uninspiring material.  However, makers of such machines knew that adorning the machines with painted designs was essential their machines were to take their place in the Victorian interior.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Sewing Machines

Click Image to Enlarge

Because cupid wants to sew you into your dress, that’s why.

What have we here? Yes, it’s another trade card. American, dating to the early Twentieth Century, this card advertises Singer Sewing Machines. The obverse depicts a rather demented looking putto sewing the court train of a woman’s wedding dress—just as she’s about the walk down the aisle, it seems. Faintly written above the cupid are the words:

WHAT I HAVE SEWED
TOGETHER, LET NO MAN
RIP ASUNDER. 

Bride and groom both look slightly disoriented.

The reverse of the card has the typical, confusingly vague and overly dramatic ad copy.

It reads:

Some Very hard Nuts to Crack 

1 

     Companies have sprung up in every part of
the Union for making an “Imitation Singer
Machine.” 
     WHY ARE NOT SIMILAR COMPANIES FORMED
FOR MAKING IMITATIONS OF OTHER SEWING
MACHINES?
     The public will draw its own inference. GOLD
IS CONTINUALLY COUNTERFIETED; BRASS AND
TIN NEVER!

2 

     The Singer has taken the FIRST PRIZE over
ALL competitors more than TWO HUNDRED TIMES.
Why? 

3 

    After the Chicago Fire, the Relief Committee
Undertook to furnish sewing machines to the needy
Women of that city. Applicants were permitted to
Chose From sixteen different kinds of machines.
2,944 applicants were furnished with machines. 

          2.427 chose SINGER MACHINES
                235   “   Wheeler & Wilson
                   127   “   Howe 

                       30 “   Wileox & Gibbs
                          5 “   Wilson
                          2 “   Davis 

118 distributed their choice among TEN other 
kinds of machines. 

These girls were to EARN THEIR LIVING on these
machines. Why did they take Singers? 

THE SINGER MANUFACTURING CO.

Unusual Artifacts: A Seventeenth Century Needle Case

Needle Case and Scissors, C. 1690
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This pretty little thing was made as a needle case.  It was ingeniously assembled from fragments of rich dress fabrics which would have otherwise have been wasted.  Such a needle case, made from scraps, would have been made by a woman of almost any class.  No woman wanted to waste costly fabric, and making little things like this would have been considered a suitable pass-time for her. 

Made to hold precious and useful steel needles, the needle case has been constructed as a folder with leaves and pockets inside. The outside of the case is covered in a silk and linen fabric which is striped with metallic thread. 

One side features a pear shape in semi-relief embroidery with green velvet appliqué leaves. The other side of the case has been given a pocket meant to contain scissors.  The maker of this case was very clever.  On the inside, she included a mirror, bound with gilt braid.  The interior also boasts two leaves of red felted wool, scalloped and edged with twisted gilt thread.  These are attached to the case by being sewn onto a piece of pink ribbon and would have served to hold needles.  Two pockets covered in a fragment of silk brocade also line the interior.

This was made by an unknown young English lady between 1660-1690 either for herself or as a gift.  It still contains two of its original needles, pinned inside.

The Home Beautiful: A Sewing Machine, 1880

Sewing Machine, 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This gorgeous creation had a decidedly practical purpose as a sewing machine. Made of cast iron, it is japanned in black and gold, with a label, engraved:  “The arm and platform machine London E.Ward's patent.” The side facing the sewer is heavily ornamented while the reverse is plain.

This machine was made in Great Britain around 1880.  The fact that it’s so attractive owes to the ingenuity of the age.  After all, the function of the machine does not lend itself to beauty.  It’s an irregular shape of an uninspiring material.  However, makers of such machines knew that adorning the machines with painted designs was essential their machines were to take their place in the Victorian interior.

Object of the Day: Domestic Sewing Machines

Click on image to see the girl behind the curtain.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE LATEST LIGHT RUNNING “DOMESTIC” SEWING
                                               MACHINE? 

So asks this lovely card. I confess I find it especially enchanting because of the wholly Victorian turquoise blue. Look how brilliant it is? Contrasting with the coral and shell pink of the young lady’s cheeks, the blue is even more powerful.

Of course, in true Victorian fashion, this image of a little girl poking her head through a drape has nothing to do with sewing machines.

But, who cares? It’s very pretty and because of it, ideally suited for it’s purpose.

The back is not even printed, it’s been stamped with a retailer of the machines. In this case:

E.D. BLISS 
DEALER IN PIANOS, ORGANS 
Sewing Machines and School Furniture, MILTON JUNCTION & EDGERTON, WIS.

Object of the Day: Singer Sewing Machines Presents “Edinburgh”

Click image to see an old lady.

This card is another of the varied series of informational trade cards which were issued by Singer Sewing Machines in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Beyond the usual collectible trade cards, these strove to be educational as well as attractive—so much so that the advertising references to Singer were kept to a minimum. Singer issued cards about places around the world, famous and historical people, flowers, wonders of the world, animals and plants among other subjects. This particular one, copyrighted 1894, tells us about Edinburgh, Scotland. Instead of overtly singing the praises of Singer, it subtly shows us some Scotch girls engaged in their needlework, conveniently using a singer sewing machine.

The reverse reads (and, I’m not going to reproduce this in all caps as it really is):
EDINBURGH.

The capital of Scotland and county town of the Shire of Midlothian,
is situated in 55° 57’ North Latitiude, and 8° 11’ West Longitude.
By rail, it is 393 miles North North-West of London and 47 ½ miles
East of Glasgow. Edinburgh occupies a peculiarly high place in the
regard of the civilized world, and draws to herself the devoted attachment
of Scotsmen, partly on account of the charm of her situation, but even more so
by reason of the many tragic events of Scottish history enacted within her walls,
which have been made of world-wide interest by the genius of her great
townsman, Sir Walter Scott. Edinburgh is particularly noted for the high order
of its educational universities, libraries and museums. This picture represents what are
called “Newhaven Fish-wives,;” that is fisherwomen of Newhaven, a fishing village
within three miles of Edinburgh. The woman standing to the right of the machine and
behind the baskets wears the costume of a married woman; and the woman to the left
of the machine wears the costume of an unmarried woman; while as may be seen
the operator at the machine is an old lady.
________________________________
THE SINGER MANUFACTURING CO. 

Well—that was perhaps the most tragically dull description of Edinburgh I’ve ever read. It’s perhaps one of the dullest descriptions of anything I’ve ever read! But, thank God they decided to remind us that the operator of the machine was an “old lady.” That’s a relief!

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Sewing Machines

Click Image to Enlarge

Because cupid wants to sew you into your dress, that’s why.

What have we here? Yes, it’s another trade card. American, dating to the early Twentieth Century, this card advertises Singer Sewing Machines. The obverse depicts a rather demented looking putto sewing the court train of a woman’s wedding dress—just as she’s about the walk down the aisle, it seems. Faintly written above the cupid are the words:

WHAT I HAVE SEWED
TOGETHER, LET NO MAN
RIP ASUNDER. 

Bride and groom both look slightly disoriented.

The reverse of the card has the typical, confusingly vague and overly dramatic ad copy.

It reads:

Some Very hard Nuts to Crack 

1 

     Companies have sprung up in every part of
the Union for making an “Imitation Singer
Machine.” 
     WHY ARE NOT SIMILAR COMPANIES FORMED
FOR MAKING IMITATIONS OF OTHER SEWING
MACHINES?
     The public will draw its own inference. GOLD
IS CONTINUALLY COUNTERFIETED; BRASS AND
TIN NEVER!

2 

     The Singer has taken the FIRST PRIZE over
ALL competitors more than TWO HUNDRED TIMES.
Why? 

3 

    After the Chicago Fire, the Relief Committee
Undertook to furnish sewing machines to the needy
Women of that city. Applicants were permitted to
Chose From sixteen different kinds of machines.
2,944 applicants were furnished with machines. 

          2.427 chose SINGER MACHINES
                235   “   Wheeler & Wilson
                   127   “   Howe 

                       30 “   Wileox & Gibbs
                          5 “   Wilson
                          2 “   Davis 

118 distributed their choice among TEN other 
kinds of machines. 

These girls were to EARN THEIR LIVING on these
machines. Why did they take Singers? 

THE SINGER MANUFACTURING CO.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Singer Sewing Machines

In the late Nineteenth Century, Singer Sewing Machines launched an ad campaign featuring images of American song birds.  Get it?  Singers. 

During this period, domestic sewing machine technology had advanced so much as to make personal sewing machines affordable for most middle class households.  There were many machines on the market and Singer wanted something to help them stand out.  This attractive series of ads translated well into periodicals and posters and also made for very handsome and collectible trade cards.

Here’s one of them.

The front of the card depicts an oriole perched on a twig.  An inset (natural size) of the bird’s egg is below the little flyer.  The illustrations were created by J.L. Ridgway.  This is number 3 of 5.

Above the seal of the Singer Manufacturing Co., we see the words, in pale blue:

The American Singer Series

At the bottom, it reads:

Orchard Oriole

Copyright 1898, BY THE SINGER MFG. CO., N.Y.

The reverse of the card reads, with a wee picture of the machine being sold:

ORCHARD ORIOLE

AN EXCEEDINGLY active, sprightly and restless bird (Nuttall) is the Orchard Oriole, a near relative of the Baltimore Oriole.  Although not so gaily dressed, he far surpasses his cousin as a songster, his tone being far richer and his song more finished.

     His small branch of the family is scattered, after the first of May, through the Eastern United States from the Gulf of Mexico to Massachusetts.  Although protected by his less noticeable coloring, he shuns the open fields and highways, preferring the orchards, where the nest of freshly dried grasses, carefully woven, is like that of the cousin in orange and black, hung from a branch. 

     When people are returning from seaside and country places, the Orchard Orioles are flying toward their Winter quarters in Central America to remain until the following May.

THE SINGER

“20”

A Practical Machine

For either Little Girls

Or Grown-ups

-------

Price only $3.00

-------

Sold only at Singer Shops or by Singer Salesmen.  

Unusual Artifacts: An Embroidered Needle case and Scissors, 1690

Needle Case and Scissors, C. 1690
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This pretty little thing was made as a needle case.  It was ingeniously assembled from fragments of rich dress fabrics which would have otherwise have been wasted.  Such a needle case, made from scraps, would have been made by a woman of almost any class.  No woman wanted to waste costly fabric, and making little things like this would have been considered a suitable pass-time for her. 

Made to hold precious and useful steel needles, the needle case has been constructed as a folder with leaves and pockets inside. The outside of the case is covered in a silk and linen fabric which is striped with metallic thread. 

One side features a pear shape in semi-relief embroidery with green velvet appliqué leaves. The other side of the case has been given a pocket meant to contain scissors.  The maker of this case was very clever.  On the inside, she included a mirror, bound with gilt braid.  The interior also boasts two leaves of red felted wool, scalloped and edged with twisted gilt thread.  These are attached to the case by being sewn onto a piece of pink ribbon and would have served to hold needles.  Two pockets covered in a fragment of silk brocade also line the interior.

This was made by an unknown young English lady between 1660-1690 either for herself or as a gift.  It still contains two of its original needles, pinned inside. 

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for the Union Sewing Machine Co.

This trade card advertises the “Union Sewing Machine Co.”  The image depicts two well-dressed young ladies in pursuit of butterflies.  The seated woman holds a lap desk so that she might write about their fun afternoon.

The cards reads: “Union Sewing Machines are the best,” and declares that one may “Sew Backward or Forward Without Stopping.”  Made in the late Nineteenth Century, this card demonstrates the trend of young ladies using the modern invention of the sewing machine to make her own fashionable clothes.

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Union Sewing Machines

...if after a thorough inspection of the machine and its work, you are not convinced that it is the BEST, we do not want you to buy it.

Here, we see a girl in red stockings being attached by a cat as her greyhound looks on.  The scene of terror unfolds beneath a sampler which reads, “God Bless Our Home.”  I can only imagine that the cat has been made murderous by the fact that, across the chair to the left, the young lady has thrown the pelt of one of the cat’s ancestors.

Okay, maybe it’s not quite that dramatic, but the illustration on this trade card (dating to the late Nineteenth Century) for Union Sewing Machines is a bit odd.

Let’s take a look at the reverse:  It reads (weird caps, punctuation and all):

NEARLY ONE MILLION NOW IN USE!

….It has all the very latest Improvements.

Are you thinking of buying a Sewing Machine?  It will cost you nothing to try a

NEW HOME

We will deliver one at your home anywhere in the United States, free of charge.

Examine our Embroidery and Fancy Work as well as the Plain White Work, without any extra attachments, except those furnished with each machine.

We claim the NEW HOME is the BEST Family Sewing machine on the market, and invite the closest inspection of experts and comparison with others, and if after a thorough inspection of the machine and its work, you are not convinced that it is the BEST, we do not want you to buy it.  But, if you are so convinced, do not be induced to buy any other, but insist on having a NEW HOME.

 The New Home is for sale by dealers everywhere.

 If you would like to try a NEW HOME, call or send a postal card to the nearest agent or direct to the

 NEW HOME SEWING MACHINE, CO.

248 State Street,                      Chicago, Ill.

It is stamped with the name of a dealer:  “Jerome Risher” and the address is now illegible.  

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Standard Rotary Shuttle Sewing Machines

Trade cards weren’t always just rectangular.  Very often companies commissioned cards of unusual, dye-cut shapes to advertise their products.  This card dates to about 1880 and is shaped like a hand fan—still a fashionable accessory at the time.  Not only that, but the fan is decorated in the Chinoiserie style which was popular.  A portrait medallion depicts a stylish young woman.

This trade card advertises “Standard” Rotary Shuttle Sewing Machines, claiming that they’re the “Best on Earth.”  Very often, these cards were printed so that they were blank on the reverse.  The cards would be distributed to retailers and distributors by the manufacturer.  The blank space on the back allowed the retailer to use a stamp to emblazon the card with their own information.  That’s what we see here.

The reverse—stamped in deep purple ink (now a little faded):

C.W. Kerstetter

Dealer in

Watches and Jewelry, Sewing Machines,

Needles, Oil and Supplies, Agent for

Standard Rotary Shuttle Sewing Machines.

Clearly, by the spelling of “jewelry,” we can see that this card was for an American retailer.  If it had been for a British shop, the word would have been spelled, “jewellery.”  Standard flourished in Cleveland Ohio at the turn of the Twentieth Century.  

The Home Beautiful: A Sewing Machine, 1880

Sewing Machine, 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This gorgeous creation had a decidedly practical purpose as a sewing machine.  Made of cast iron, it is japanned in black and gold, with a label, engraved:  “The arm and platform machine London E.Ward's patent.” The side facing the sewer is heavily ornamented while the reverse is plain.

This machine was made in Great Britain around 1880.  The fact that it’s so attractive owes to the ingenuity of the age.  After all, the function of the machine does not lend itself to beauty.  It’s an irregular shape of an uninspiring material.  However, makers of such machines knew that adorning the machines with painted designs was essential their machines were to take their place in the Victorian interior.

Object of the Day: An Antique Victorian Sewing Bench

This attractive sewing bench is a rather unusual piece of furniture. It appears to have been made specifically for someone—perhaps even in the home. It’s most assuredly hand-crafted. Ebonized wooden sides have been pierced and heavily carved with clear Eastlake influences. The splats are adorned with bas relief stars which have been gilt. The legs are saw-scalloped and resemble ferns.


Turning the piece over reveals a rather bold signature. The date of creation and some sort of maker’s mark are painted in huge black letters, “1883, W. KISS.”

What’s most peculiar about this piece is that the footrests and hinged lid are upholstered in red carpet with a pattern of ochre and black crosses. Four very small, but obvious, burn marks on the top tell me that this piece most likely spent a good deal of its early existence in front of a fireplace. A lady would have kept her sewing in the casket, and removed it in the evenings to work in front of the fire.

Its quirks give it a certain charm. Today, it resides quietly at the end of a hallway—its casket empty and only touched when being dusted. I must confess that sometimes I feel that pieces of furniture have personalities. This one seems to want to be used. It’s a pity I’m such a mess with a sewing needle.