1840 Thorp and Angell's Patent Model of a Loom Heddle
date: label: model constructed
content: before 1840-02-26
label: patent date
content: 1840-02-26
name: label: inventor
content: Thorp, John
label: inventor
content: Angell, William G.
notes: label: Description
content: Loom Heddles Patent Model
label: Description
content: Patent No. 1,498, issued on February 26, 1840
label: Description
content: John Thorp and William G. Angell of Providence, Rhode Island
label: Description
content: These heddles, both wire and twine, were exhibited in the Patent Office in a round wooden frame. In the patent specification, Thorp and Angell described the dimensions of heddles for use on a common power loom. A chain of the heddles was formed by taking two pieces of wire or twine and tying them with a common square knot, “which will unite them in the same way and manner that a lady ties her apron strings or a child his shoestrings.” The placement of the knots resulted in the formation of the eyes of the heddles, which raise and lower warp threads in weaving cloth.
label: Description
content: Thorp and Angell did not include a patent drawing with the specification. The 1841 Journal of the Franklin Institute remarked of this omission: “We must suppose . . . that the description, although to us somewhat obscure, would be clear to a professional weaver.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: associated place
content: United States: Rhode Island, Providence
topic: label: classified
content: Patent Models
label: classified
content: Invention
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Patent Models, Textile Machinery
label: See more items in
content: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Patent Models
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Janssen, Barbara Suit. Patent Models Index
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T11409.032
label: catalog number
content: T11409.032
label: accession number
content: 89797
label: patent number
content: 1,498
objectType: label: Object Name
content: loom heddle patent model
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wire (heddle material)
label: Physical Description
content: twine (heddle material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (frame material)