Author:Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company(1853-1905)

Category：Industry

Year：Second half of the 19th century

Size:Length:42 x Width:36.8 x Height:35.6 (cm)

Introduction：In the 1850s, the mainstream sewing machines were hand-crank ones. However, after 1900, they were replaced by treadle sewing machines, marking a critical point of innovation and revolution in the history of sewing machine development. This sewing machine produced by Wheeler & Wilson in the US represents the diverse ideas behind the powering of sewing machines.

Inside the cabinet at the bottom of this sewing machine are a belt and a flywheel. When a user turns the hand-crank, the belt and flywheel also rotate and result in a momentum of inertia to power the machine, which consequently frees the user from having to turn the hand-crank from time to time and enables more accurate and efficient sewing with both hands.

Even though the sewing machine in front of you still has a hand-crank, it is the precursor of the treadle sewing machine. Back then, it was considered a very cutting-edge product.

(Research and Edit: National Science and Technology Museum, Cheng-Chung Huang, Researcher Assistant)

Accession Number:0004720

Place of Orgin：USA