Fiddlebase
HODGKINS SEWING MACHINE
Christopher Hodgkins of Boston, Massachusetts
On his sewing machine patent model, Christopher Hodgkins made sure his model was well identified. On the base, “Hodgkins” was painted in bold gold letters and a brass bed plate was stamped “Christopher Hodgkins”.
In his patent specification, Hodgkins wrote “My machine sews with two needles working through the cloth in opposite directions and the one being made to cross the path of the other. It performs a lock-stitch, the loops made by each thread being locked in the cloth by those of the other. Hodgkins assigned his patents to Nehemiah Hunt of Boston.
In 1853, Nehemiah Hunt & Co. manufactured sewing machines based on Hodgkins’ patents.
In 1854, a year later, Hunt took a partner and the company became Hunt & Webster.
Ballou’s Pictorial, July 5, 1856, featured Hunt & Webster in an article. The illustration depicted Hunt & Webster sewing machines in an elegant exhibition and showroom in Boston. They noted that “ . . . the North American Shoe Company have over fifty of the latest improved machines now running . . . .”
1853 Boston Sewing Machines present at the VII Exhibition
1856 Boston Sewing Machines present at the VIII Exhibition
US PATENTS
*********************************************************
US 9.365 Christopher Hodgkins
My machine sews with two needles working through the cloth in opposite directions and the one being made to cross the path of the other. It performs a lock-stitch, the loops made by each thread being locked in the cloth by those of the other.
Assignor to Nehemiah Hunt
November 2, 1852
*********************************************************
US 10.622 Christopher Hodgkins
My invention consists in a peculiar arrangement of the eye of the upper or vertical needle, together with a peculiar mode of forming and operating the lower needle and my invention has reference to machines which sew by the conjoint operation of two needles, one of which passes through the cloth, while the other works on one side of it.
Assignor to Nehemiah Hunt
March 7, 1854
*********************************************************
US 10.879 Christopher Hodgkins
Improvement in a Lock-Stitch Machinery for Sewing Cloth or other Material
As the mechanism by which the needle is made to move in vertical directions is not essentially different from such as is generally adopted in similar machines, it needs no particular description.
Assignor to Nehemiah Hunt
May 9, 1854
*********************************************************
US 33.085 Christopher Hodgkins
My invention consists, first, in an improved device for operating a rotary feed-ring; secondly, in an improved mode of applying and arranging a rotary looper in connection with an eye-pointed needle to make the chain-stitch.
August 20, 1861
*********************************************************
US 69.666 Christopher Hodgkins
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in single-thread sewing machines and it consists in an improved means for giving a proper degree of tension to the thread, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby an improved sewing machine of the class specified is obtained.
October 8, 1867
*********************************************************
As reproduction of Historical artifacts, this works may contain errors of spelling and/or missing words and/or missing pages, poor pictures, etc.