Cotton Ginning, Carding, & Spinning Machine, 1835-1840
Add to SetSummary
Called a "plantation spinner" or "spinster", this small machine combined the three processes required to convert raw cotton to yarn -- ginning, carding and spinning. Its small size and human-powered design was made for enslaved plantation laborers. By the time of the Civil War, there were 3,000 in use across the south. After emancipation they were no longer economically viable.
Called a "plantation spinner" or "spinster", this small machine combined the three processes required to convert raw cotton to yarn -- ginning, carding and spinning. Its small size and human-powered design was made for enslaved plantation laborers. By the time of the Civil War, there were 3,000 in use across the south. After emancipation they were no longer economically viable.
Artifact
Cotton gin
Date Made
1835-1840
On Exhibit
at Henry Ford Museum in Agriculture
Object ID
00.3.8578
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant material)
Tin (Metal)
Dimensions
Height: 47.5 in
Width: 23 in
Length: 39.5 in
Inscriptions
Cast iron maker's plate: J. & T. Pearce Cincinnati
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