Figure 130.—White Sewing Machine. Although the White sewing machines date from 1876, Thomas H. White had been busy in the manufacture of sewing machines for many years prior to this. White is known to have been associated with Barker in the manufacture of the Brattleboro machine and later with Grout in producing one of the several New England machines. In 1866 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and began manufacturing machines for sale under special trade names through selling organizations. In 1876, the White Sewing Machine Company was formed and machines were sold under the White name.
The machine illustrated is a standard lockstitch machine, which would have been set into a sewing-machine table and operated by a treadle. The small handle was used to start the wheel, and thus the stitching operation, in the forward direction. This machine bears the serial number 28241 and the following patents: “Mar. 14, 1876, May 2, 1876, Oct. 24, 1876, Jan. 16, 1877, Mar. 20, 1877, Mar. 27, 1877,” which are primarily the patents of D’Arcy Porter and George W. Baker.
The machines of the 1870s may be dated approximately as follows:
| Serial Number | Year |
| 1-9000 | 1876 |
| 9000-27000 | 1877 |
| 27001-45000 | 1878 |
| 45001-63000 | 1879 |
(Smithsonian photo 58986.)
Figure 131.—Willcox And Gibbs sewing machine, serial number 296572, of about 1878. From 1857 to the turn of the century, the style of the Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine changed very little (fig. 39). It was the most popular and the most reliable of the many chainstitch machines. In addition to the basic mechanical patents, Gibbs also patented the design of the sewing-machine head in 1860. In the specifications, he described it as an open ring set on a base or pedestal. The lower part of the open section supported the cloth plate. The design of the head, intentionally or not, formed a perfect letter G, the initial of the inventor. Later the machine head as a letter G was incorporated into the company’s trademark. Additional patents were also granted to James Willcox for a leg and treadle design and to Charles Willcox for mechanical improvements.
It has not been possible to secure information on records of serial numbers from the late 1870s through the 1920s to aid in dating machines of that period. For the preceding years, however, the machines may be dated approximately as follows:
| Serial Number | Year |
| 1-10000 | 1857 |
| 10001-20000 | 1858 |
| 20001-30000 | 1859 |
| 30001-40000 | 1860 |
| 40001-50000 | 1861 |
| 50001-60000 | 1862 |
| 60001-70000 | 1863 |
| 70001-80000 | 1864 |
| 80001-90000 | 1865 |
| 90001-100000 | 1866 |
| 100001-115000 | 1867 |
| 115001-130000 | 1868 |
| 130001-145000 | 1869 |
| 145001-160000 | 1870 |
| 160001-190127 | 1871 |
| 190128-223766 | 1872 |
| 223767-239647 | 1873 |
| 239648-253357 | 1874 |
| 253358-267879 | 1875 |
| 267880-279637 | 1876 |