1851 LONDON EXHIBITION 

from 1 May to 11 October 1851 

Sewing Machines present at the Exhibition

BRITISH  EXHIBITORS

16. W. & C.  Mather   of Salford Iron Work Manufacturer                                                                                                                 (Manchester)

Calico-printing machine, for printing eight colors at one operation, with drying apparatus. Sewing machine and patent pistons.

WAS MATHER'S MACHINE A   RUNNING STITCH MACHINE ?

The simplest apparatus of this kind, invented by W. and C. Mather on the Salford ironworks, serves only to stitch calico pieces together before dying, sacks and the like. The Mather’ sewing machine consists of a pair of small gears, which are superimposed and engaged. Around the edge of each of the two wheels run two grooves or gypsy cuts, so that the incisions of one wheel coincide exactly with the incisions on the circumference of the other and thus form an opening suitable for receiving the tip of a (strong) sewing needle. The two layers of the stuffing to be sewn are inserted between the point of engagement of the two wheels and the latter set in rotation. Here, the teeth grasp the stuff, crimp it and press it against the tip of a needle provided with a thread, which is fixed in an adjustable bearing so that its tip lies in the opening formed by the incisions. If the stuff has been strung on the needle in a crimped state, so stitching is accomplished by pervading the needle. In some cases two needles are used, one in each pair of incisions, this can produce at the same time two seams or rows of stitches.

from POLYTECHNISCHEN JOURNALS 1852

from Needlebar:

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41. Charles  Barlow    of the Office for Patents, 89 Chancery Lane,                                              London

Patent sewing machine with two threads.

from Scientific American 1849

The above articles refer to the below sewing machine's picture

hooked needle, one thread, chain stitch sewing machine

In 1848 having the French Revolution stopped Thimonnier's business, he started for England where he stay a few months and sold his patent to a Manchester Firm. 

In 1849 The Scientific American claims that Mr. Barlow and Mr. Payne are the agents for the "French Sewing Machine", also says that one of those machine has been made with a number of needles and operates well.

In 1851 The Illustrated Exhibitor says that the English Agent, Mr. G. Robinson, Bow Lane, Cheapside,  has had many of those machines at work in making coats and other garments and they are informed that they have succeeded admirably.

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52. Charles Tiot Judkins 

This machine is very simple in its construction and suited to sewing either a circle, curve, or straight line, at the rate of 500 stitches per minute. But for a circle or curve the straight rack is removed, and one of a circular form applied to the side of the machine. This rack, in which the cloth is placed, is moved forward  by means of a spring, at a given distance for every stitch. There are two threads employed, one of which is carried in the shuttle, and the other taken from a reel on the top of the machine and passed through the cloth by the point of the needle, so that when it is withdrawn from the cloth both threads have been locked together, forming a firm and durable stitch.

(Awarded prize medal for heald machine and improved heald)

Reproduction of Judkin's lockstitch sewing machine made by Platt Bros & Co Ltd., Oldham, Manchester, England, shown at 1851 Exhibition.

needle & shuttle, lock stitch sewing machine

This is a copy of the original machine exhibited by Charles Judkins at the Great Exhibition in 1851, where it was the only British sewing machine exhibited (according to the Official Catalogue of the 1851 London Exhibition, three British sewing machines were exhibited).

Three American and two French sewing machines (1 Hemming machine), including Thimonnier's, were also shown at the Exhibition. This industrial machine was intended to be power-driven by the belt pulley at the rear, but a handle has also been fitted. The chief interest attached to this machine is the high rate of sewing - 500 stitches per minute - attained at an early date.

Source:

collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk

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AMERICAN  EXHIBITORS

465.  Bacon S. F.  of Boston, Massachusett.

Folding, pressing sewing machine.

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551.  Sherburne C. Blodgett  of New York.

Sherburne C. Blodgett and John Alexander Lerow (awarded)

                                        Rotary Sewing Machines

US 6.766 needle & curved shuttle, rotary  machine (1849)

GB 13.321 grooved needle & curved shuttle, rotary  machine (1850)

...Only one other machine appeared in the great Exhibition. This was the "Blodgett", in the United States section. This machine was patented in 1849 in America but never in England; a specimen or more still exists in the States. I have never seen it, but from such description as I have been able to obtain, it was the exact counterpart of the machine of our own Drake, of Huddersfield, described in our last chapter, and possibly was copied from it. Like the Thimonnier it was unattended, and therefore wholly escaped recognition at the time. And this and the other, 61 years after " Saint," was all the world had to show for mechanical invention in this great industry... 

William Newton Wilson  (1892)

The Sewing Machine News of New York, contains in its last number an article on old machines, and mentions one as being in existence in the United State, made by J. Drake, of Huddersfield in 1848. Can any reader give us further information of this person or his machine ?  

Sewing Machine Gazette  (1892)

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573. Charles Morey  of Boston.

bent needle & hook, one thread, chain-stitch sewing machine

bent needle & hook, one thread, chain-stitch sewing machine

   US 6.099                Morey & Johnson             (February 6, 1849)

bent needle & hook, one thread, chain-stitch sewing machine

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GB 12.752                 Charles Morey                (August 30, 1849)

5 Machines' improvements

curved needle & curved shuttle, rotary  machine No.3

 curved needle & shuttle, vibrating shuttle, machine  No.4

FRENCH  EXHIBITORS

373.  Senechal

Sewing machine adapted for coarse cloth

1.654.  Jean Marie Magnin

GB 12.060/1848             Jean Marie Magnin             (Thimonnier' patent)

hooked needle, one thread, chain stitch sewing machine

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William Thomas did not exhibit the productions of Howe whilst employed in his English factory.

William Newton Wilson (Jan. 1892)

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see also: