White Treadle Sewing Machine, 1885-1890

Sewing machines made sewing much faster---creating consistent, even stiches better than could be done by hand. Most clothing was still made at home during the late 19th century--sewing machines made this task easier. In the 1880s, the White Sewing Machine Company manufactured about 60,000 sewing machines annually--and its machines won awards both in America and abroad.