Figure 120.—Shaw & Clark sewing machine (Page patent) of 1867, Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. (Smithsonian photo 48216-L.)
Figures 119 and 120.—Shaw & Clark sewing machines. In addition to the early style Monitor sewing machine sold by Shaw & Clark without a name or any identifying marks, the company continued to manufacture machines after a lawsuit with the “Combination” forced them to take out a license. They manufactured an adapted version of their Monitor and an entirely new design patented in 1861. Their machines were now marked with the company name and a list of patent dates including those of Howe, Wheeler and Wilson, Grover and Baker, and Singer and the Batchelder patent, together with their own design patents. In 1867 the company moved from Biddeford, Maine, to Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. In the same year, they began manufacturing a machine of the design patented by T. C. Page. The company is believed to have become the Chicopee Sewing Machine Company which appeared the following year and remained in business only a very short time. One Chicopee sewing machine is in the Smithsonian collection.
Figure 121.—Singer “Traverse Shuttle Machine—Letter A.” (Smithsonian photo 58984.)
Figures 121 and 122.—Singer sewing machines. From 1850 to 1858 the Singer company produced heavy manufacturing-type sewing machines similar to the patent model shown earlier (fig. 28). The first machine for family use, Singer’s new “Family” sewing machine (fig. 33) was manufactured from 1858-1861. Their second-style family machine was called the “Traverse Shuttle Machine—Letter A;” it was manufactured from 1859 to 1865, when they introduced their third family machine and called it the “New Family” sewing machine. This style machine continued until about 1883 when the “Improved Family” machine appeared. In addition to the lockstitch machines, Singer also manufactured chainstitch machines, and many highly specialized manufacturing machines.
From 1857 through the 1880s, the Singer machines were marked with two serial numbers. It is possible that the numbers were related to the “Combination” royalties paid by the Singer company. Until about 1873 there was a difference of exactly 4,000 in the two numbers, thus one machine would be marked 12163 and directly below it would be marked 16163. From 1873 the last three digits of the two numbers continued to be the same but the lower number might be much lower in value than either number used in earlier years. The larger number is believed to have been a record of total production while the lower number may have referred to a machine of a particular style. The Singer company records can shed no light on the meaning of the top (or lower of the two) serial numbers. Generally, in the earlier machines, the difference in the two numbers will not affect the dating of a machine by more than one year. Since dating by serial number can only be estimated, the two numbers do not add an appreciable variable prior to 1873. Only the larger number, however, should be considered in dating machines after 1873.
| Serial Number Year | |
| 1-100 | 1850 |
| 101-900 | 1851 |
| 901-1711 | 1852 |
| 1712-2521 | 1853 |
| 2522-3400 | 1854 |
| 3401-4283 | 1855 |
| 4284-6847 | 1856 |
| 6848-10477 | 1857 |
| 10478-14071 | 1858 |
| 14072-25024 | 1859 |
| 25025-43000 | 1860 |
| 43001-61000 | 1861 |
| 61001-79396 | 1862 |
| 79397-99426 | 1863 |
| 99427-123058 | 1864 |
| 123059-149399 | 1865 |
| 149400-180360 | 1866 |
| 180361-223414 | 1867 |
| 223415-283044 | 1868 |
| 283045-369826 | 1869 |
| 369827-497660 | 1870 |
| 497661-678921 | 1871 |
| 678922-898680 | 1872 |
| 898681-1121125 | 1873 |
| 1121126-1362805 | 1874 |
| 1362806-1612658 | 1875 |
| 1612659-1874975 | 1876 |
Since records of annual production from 1877 to the turn of the century are not complete, it is difficult to establish yearly approximations. Using the machines submitted as patent models, and thus known to have been manufactured before the date of deposit, however, has provided us with the following date guides. By 1877 there had been 2 million machines manufactured, 3 million by 1880, 4 million by 1882, 5 million by 1884, 6 million by 1886, 7 million by 1888, 8 million by 1889, 9 million by 1890, and 10 million by 1891.