1858 - James Perry's Sewing Machine Patent Model
date: label: Date made
content: Patented November 23, 1858
name: label: inventor
content: Perry, James
notes: label: Description
content: James Perry received Patent 22,148 on November 23, 1858 for an improvement on sewing machines. His patent model looks prepared to gallop away. In fact, none of the legs move. The horse front hides the patented mechanical features. In his patent specification, Perry states that his improvements are for the looping mechanism, the cloth feeder, and the thread tension, which are pictured in detail in the patent drawing. A second page shows the overall view of the model, with the horse being labeled A. The specification merely notes that A is the frame and no further mention is made concerning the horse design. Perry may have selected it thinking that his model would stand out from the other sewing machine models upon being displayed in the Museum of Models in the Patent Office in Washington, D.C.. Perry's patent model personifies the inventor's ingenuity and represents the fine art of model making.
label: Description
content: Sewing Machine Patent Model
label: Description
content: Patent Number 22,148
label: Description
content: James Perry
label: Description
content: November 23, 1858
label: Description
content: New York, New York
label: Description
content: S.I. Photograph Negative Numbers:
label: Description
content: Front of model: 2005-36131.tif
label: Description
content: Back of model ¾ view: 2005-36139.tif
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Sewing Machines
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T06186
label: catalog number
content: T06186.000
label: patent number
content: 22148
label: accession number
content: 89797
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Sewing Machine Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (base material)
label: Physical Description
content: brass (plate material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (patent tag material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 1/4 in x 15 in x 7 in; 31.115 cm x 38.1 cm x 17.78 cm