Portrait of a woman with a young girl holding a sewing bird
date: label: Date made
content: Mid-19th Century
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: A sewing bird is a type of needlework table clamp that supports a bird on its top. The lower body of the bird is stationary while the upper body is hinged, and there is a spring in the tail. When the upper and lower tail ends are squeezed together, the beak opens, allowing the edge of a fabric to be placed in it. When the tail is released, the beak closes on the fabric, holding it securely while the sewer pulls it taut for stitching a hem or seam. This particular type of sewing bird, credited to Charles Waterman of Meridian Connecticut, dates from the 1850s and was used for plain sewing rather than fancy needlework. The daguerreotype itself also dates from the mid-19th century, although the maker and subjects are unknown.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Sewing and Knitting
label: Subject
content: Girls
label: Subject
content: Women
label: Subject
content: Portraits
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Photographic History
label: See more items in
content: Photography
label: See more items in
content: Textiles
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2004.0116.01
label: accession number
content: 2004.0116
label: catalog number
content: 2004.0116.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Photograph
label: Object Name
content: daguerreotype
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal, copper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric, velvet (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8.1 cm x 9.2 cm x 1.9 cm; 3 3/16 in x 3 5/8 in x 3/4 in