Florence Sewing Machine, 1860-1865
Add to SetSummary
When new inventions like stoves, sewing machines and radios first came on the market, they seemed jarring and out of place next to people's furniture. Manufacturers learned that these devices would sell better if their mechanisms were hidden behind stylish cabinetry or fancy decoration. Fashionable parlor furniture inspired the ornately scrolled and pierced iron legs of this elaborately decorated sewing machine.
When new inventions like stoves, sewing machines and radios first came on the market, they seemed jarring and out of place next to people's furniture. Manufacturers learned that these devices would sell better if their mechanisms were hidden behind stylish cabinetry or fancy decoration. Fashionable parlor furniture inspired the ornately scrolled and pierced iron legs of this elaborately decorated sewing machine.
Artifact
Sewing machine (Equipment)
Date Made
1860-1865
Creators
Florence Sewing Machine Company
Place of Creation
United States, Massachusetts, Florence
Creator Notes
Made by the Florence Sewing Machine Company, Florence, Massachusetts.
Keywords
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Fully Furnished
Object ID
00.3.10048
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Cast iron
Wood (Plant material)
Color
Black (Color)
Gold (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 34.5 in
Width: 30.5 in
Length: 19.5 in
Inscriptions
On machine: FLORENCE/SEWING MACHINE CO./PATENTED/AUG.22, 1855 TO JULY 18, 1863/19723