1849 - John Bachelder's Patent Model of a Sewing Machine
date: label: model constructed
content: before 1849-05-08
label: patent date
content: 1849-05-08
name: label: inventor
content: Bachelder, John
notes: label: Description
content: Sewing Machine Patent Model . Patent No. 6439, issued May 8, 1849
label: Description
content: John Bachelder of Boston, Massachusetts.
label: Description
content: John Bachelder of Boston, Massachusetts, submitted this sewing machine patent model for his Patent No. 6439, which was granted on May 8, 1849. Bachelder’s machine sewed with a chain-stitch. He did not claim this chain-stitch mechanism as it was patented earlier in February in 1849 by Charles Morey and Joseph B. Johnson of Massachusetts. Instead he focused on improving the cloth feed. On this model, Bachelder used a wide continuous leather belt inserted with sharp pins to hold the cloth and enable the leather belt to move the cloth forward as it was being sewn. After being stitched, the fabric would be disengaged from the points by a curved piece of metal. This was the first patent for a continuous sewing, intermittent feeding mechanism.
label: Description
content: Although Bachelder did not manufacture his sewing machine, his patent and later reissues of it were bought by I. M. Singer, and became one of the central patents to form the Sewing Machine Combination in 1856. This organization consisted of three sewing machine manufacturers, I. M. Singer Co., Wheeler & Wilson Co., and the Grover & Baker Co., and the inventor, Elias Howe Jr., who all agreed to pool their important patents and stop patent litigations between them. This allowed them to move ahead with manufacturing and marketing of their own sewing machine and collect license fees from other companies wanting to use their patents.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place invented
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
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: Clothing & Accessories
label: See more items in
content: Patent Models, Sewing Machines
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content: Work
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content: Industry & Manufacturing
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content: Sewing Machines
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content: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Patent Models
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: A Nation of Nations
label: Related Publication
content: Janssen, Barbara Suit. Patent Models Index
label: Related Publication
content: Cooper, Grace Rogers. The Sewing Machine: Its Invention and Development
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/HST/Cooper/CF/view.cfm
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T06051
label: catalog number
content: T06051.000
label: patent number
content: 006439
label: accession number
content: 89797
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sewing machine patent model
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 13 in x 19 in x 15 in; 33.02 cm x 48.26 cm x 38.1 cm; wt. 50 lbs