Singer Sewing Machine: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This Singer industrial 31-15 straight stitch sewing machine head was made around 1910 and was a workhorse of the apparel industry. Most garment factories ran the machines off of floor mounted line shafting but the machines could also be operated by foot powered treadles. This machine was last used at the J. Schoeneman men’s suit factory in PA.

Charismatic inventor Isaac Merritt Singer did much to improve and popularize the sewing machine but it was company president Edward Clark that turned the company into a giant. The company excelled at clever marketing. It opened factories and sales offices around the world. By 1900 Singer was multinational. Singer Manufacturing pioneered many new business techniques. It instituted installment sales, sought to develop a home-user market, modernized manufacturing, and expanded into international sales.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1917
• maker: Singer
• Object Name: Sewing Machine
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 12 1/2 in x 20 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in; 31.75 cm x 52.07 cm x 19.05 cm
• place made: United States
• ID Number: 1995.3067.01
• catalog number: 1995.3067.01
• nonaccession number: 1995.3067
• Credit Line: Gift of J. Schoeneman, Incorporated through Ron Palczynski
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.