You probably need to be of a certain age to recognise this - for those of you who don't, you'll find the answer in the tags.
I was looking for something in the loft when I came across this forgotten treasure. It belonged to my mother (although she acquired it second-hand) and it enabled her and my brother and I to be properly dressed when times were rather hard. Singer began manufacturing in Glasgow in 1851 and sold tens of thousands of this particular model which won't have differed much from the first one off the production line.
Incidentally, in the year this was made, my mother was 14 years of age and already at work in a factory using an industrial version of this to stitch shoes together.
@maggiemae No Maggiemae - the case is looking a bit sad and the veneers are lifting, but under the cover, it looks just the same as I remember it as a kid. I snapped this on the kitchen table and the background is rather distracting so I chose to post this in B&W but it still looks magnificent in its black and gold livery so a colour version will make an appearance soon I think. @je77rey@kporte
I knew what this was right away. My mum used to sew all the time when I was growing up. A lot of my clothes were home made. Hers wasn't as ornate as this one though.
My mother had a very old one like this on which she sewed many of my and my siblings clothing. Nice capture here. Interesting tooling on the end plate.
Richard, is this a treadle machine? I had one early in our marriage and the stitches it made were so even, more so than my newer machine. It was one of those things that I regret getting rid of!
Richard this is an amazing image for me. I just love the detail as the black and white enhances the story behind this machine.. Some mystery there.. Fav!
@essiesue No Sue, it's a handcranked one. My mother's elder sister had a treadle machine but the cost of one of those was beyond my Dad's meager income... Mum was the better seamstress though!
Well, it seems perfectly obvious, but I suppose there might be someone who wouldn't recognize it. Beautiful old machine. I have a decorative plate similar to this one off the remnants of an old machine. I still don't know what I'll use if for but can't get rid of it. Maybe a photography prop...
I certainly recognise it, my mom had one before she went electric. Funny, sewing machines (of any kind) are a rare breed these days.
Wonderful in b&w and so much detail.
Nice black and white richard, picked out the details on the end plate with enough DOF to keep the interest in the front. Think i have one of these in our loft
My mother and grandmother worked for a local company, Wathen Gardeners, Bristol UK (now Bristol Uniforms), making uniforms for armed and uniform services. Mum had a treadle Singer and it never seemed to wear out. In the 1960s Dad fitted it with a motor and it was still going strong into the late 1970s.
@joansmor@featherstone Thanks Joan for pointing me to Sue's posting - those two machines are magnificent, and both of them look like they left the factory yesterday. I don't suppose Mum's machine has been used in over 40 years and Dad had it stored in a damp garden shed for many years so it certainly isn't pristine (and loved) like these two. How funny that we should both post in the same week!
Wow, such a beautifully captured image of this iconic Singer sewing machine. I have a really soft spot for these vintage items, even though I never learned how to sew on these machines. My mom was really adept at them, though, and I would love to have one as a decorative piece, especially the ones with the foot pedal.
@bonsai Thanks Shirley - I tried sepia but I didn't like the effect at all. This is selenium (blue) toned which seemed to be more in keeping with engineering and machinery.
Wonderful in b&w and so much detail.
fav