Sewing Collection (#6)

A Griscom eclectic motor fitted to a sewing machine, 1884
3479118 A Griscom eclectic motor fitted to a sewing machine, 1884; (add.info.: A Griscom eclectic motor fitted to a sewing machine. Dated 1884.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Inexpensive hand-driven sewing machine, 1872
3479113 Inexpensive hand-driven sewing machine, 1872; (add.info.: Inexpensive hand-driven sewing machine (costing 2 guineas, compared with 10 to 12 guineas for a treadle machine)

Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine, 1880
3479108 Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine, 1880; (add.info.: Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine. New York, dated 1880.); Universal History Archive/UIG

WG Wilson's sewing machine attachments, 1880
3479101 WG Wilson's sewing machine attachments, 1880; (add.info.: W.G Wilson's sewing machine attachments: the plaiter or tucker)

A sewing bag as used by a seamstress in 1895, 1895
3479062 A sewing bag as used by a seamstress in 1895, 1895; (add.info.: A sewing bag as used by a seamstress in 1895.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Young woman sewing: needlework, 1884
3479052 Young woman sewing: needlework, 1884; (add.info.: Young woman sewing: needlework was considered a suitable remunerative employment for gentlewomen)

Learning to sew, 1879
3479044 Learning to sew, 1879; (add.info.: A small girl learning to sew in a cottage kitchen. Dated 1879, London.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Woman at work in an English factory making needles for the sewing industry, 1843
3478846 Woman at work in an English factory making needles for the sewing industry, 1843; (add.info.: Woman at work in an English factory making needles for the sewing industry, England)

Woman musing over memories
2602690 Woman musing over memories; (add.info.: Woman musing over the memories evoked by the patches on the quilt she is working)

Photographic print of Breton women
3077680 Photographic print of Breton women; (add.info.: Photographic print of Breton women, sat stitching. The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France)

Spools of Military issue thread labeled Andrew Coates Agent for U.S
3028940 Spools of Military issue thread labeled Andrew Coates Agent for U.S ; Private Collection; © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022

Woman being rejected for employment sewing, 1860
3478875 Woman being rejected for employment sewing, 1860; (add.info.: Woman being rejected for employment sewing, as an outworker. England, 1860.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Empire Sewing Machine Co
2623665 Empire Sewing Machine Co; (add.info.: Colour lithograph of advertising the Empire Sewing Machine Co. The print depicts views of New York and the Brooklyn suspension bridge, sewing machines)

Publicity Poster Advertising Singer Sewing Machines, 1930 (litho)
IND54612 Publicity Poster Advertising Singer Sewing Machines, 1930 (litho); Private Collection; Index Fototeca

Antagonism between Clay and Jackson, 1834
1576419 Antagonism between Clay and Jackson, 1834; (add.info.: Symptoms of a locked jaw. Plain sewing done here The caricature reflects the bitter antagonism between Kentucky senator Henry Clay)

Daussin's steam motor, heated on the kitchen stove, being used to power a sewing machine
538083 Daussin's steam motor, heated on the kitchen stove, being used to power a sewing machine. Engraving published Paris, 1883; (add.info.: Daussin's steam motor)

19th century tailor
673317 19th century tailor; (add.info.: a nineteenth century tailor); Universal History Archive/UIG

To wish you a darned fine time on your birthday (colour litho)
8656772 To wish you a darned fine time on your birthday (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: To wish you a darned fine time on your birthday)

Women sitting and sewing with bad postures (engraving)
8655782 Women sitting and sewing with bad postures (engraving) by French School, (19th century) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Women sitting and sewing with bad postures)

Advertising card for J & P Coats cotton (chromolitho)
8677745 Advertising card for J & P Coats cotton (chromolitho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Hand spinning, carding and roving, 1848
3479121 Hand spinning, carding and roving, 1848; (add.info.: Hand spinning, carding and roving. The wire cards or combs are in the left foreground. Illustration based on Richard Guest)

Isaac Merrit Singer (1811-1875), American inventor, while his friend George Zieber holds the candle
530592 Isaac Merrit Singer (1811-1875), American inventor, while his friend George Zieber holds the candle, adjusting tension on his sewing machine in a last desperate attempt to make it work

Caillebaut sewing machine, 1845
3479090 Caillebaut sewing machine, 1845; (add.info.: Sewing machine by Caillebaut of Paris, based on the Singer method. Paris, dated 1845.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Needlework by Candlelight (oil on canvas)
FNP270587 Needlework by Candlelight (oil on canvas) by Shaw, Arthur Winter (1869-1948); 53.3x43 cm; Private Collection

The Song of the Shirt, 1902
BRA33313 The Song of the Shirt, 1902 by Rutherston, Albert Daniel (1881-1953); 76x58.5 cm; Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, West Yorkshire

Flag shop, Navy Yard, 1917. Creator: Bain News Service
Flag shop, Navy Yard, 1917. Shows women making flags on sewing machines at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York

Williams, between c1915 and c1920. Creator: Bain News Service
Williams, between c1915 and c1920. Shows singer Irene Williams

Neva. Les meilleures pour familles et ateliers, c. 1890. Creator: Tamagno, Nicolas (1862-1933)
Neva. Les meilleures pour familles et ateliers, c. 1890. Private Collection

Chadwick's Cotton Sewing Thread, 1890. Creator: Anonymous
Chadwick's Cotton Sewing Thread, 1890. Private Collection

Helvetia, machines à coudre, 1890. Creator: Anonymous
Helvetia, machines a coudre, 1890. Private Collection

Pfaff, c. 1900. Creator: Reijs, F. (active ca 1900)
Pfaff, c. 1900. Private Collection

Athos, 1895. Creator: Tabouret, Émile (1850-1927)
Athos, 1895. Private Collection

La White, machine à coudre américaine, c. 1912. Creator: Anonymous
La White, machine a coudre americaine, c. 1912. Private Collection

La légère rapide New Home, c. 1889. Creator: Anonymous
La legere rapide New Home, c. 1889. Private Collection

Surplice sewn by tsarevnas, the sisters of Peter the Great, Trinity Monastery, Aleksandrov, 1911

Phelonion [vestment] from the second half of the eighteenth century, from a very old... 1911
Phelonion [vestment] from the second half of the eighteenth century, from a very old fabric called kamka [silk brocade] with shoulders embroidered with pearls on crimson velvet. In the Rostov Museum

The Schleswig-Holstein Difficulty: Schleswig costumes, 1864. Creator: Unknown
The Schleswig-Holstein Difficulty: Schleswig costumes, 1864. Sand-eel fisher-girl of Blavand's Bay; peasant girl of Fohr in her Sunday attire; peasant woman of Ostenfeldt in her Sunday dress;

Y.W.C.A. between c1915 and 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
Y.W.C.A. between c1915 and 1918. Women making dresses at the Y.W.C.A during World War I. One dress has a striped skirt and star-patterned top which resembles an American flag

Machines à coudre françaises Hurtu, 1889. Creator: Anonymous
Machines a coudre francaises Hurtu, 1889. Private Collection

Machine à coudre Elias Howe, 1906. Creator: Wallace, Richard William (1872-1927)
Machine a coudre Elias Howe, 1906. Private Collection

Singer Machines, 1891. Creator: Anonymous
Singer Machines, 1891. Private Collection

Dewhurst Sewing Thread, 1890. Creator: Anonymous
Dewhurst Sewing Thread, 1890. Private Collection

The end of the nakosnik of the wife of Stepan Suturov from Nalimka, 1920. Creator: A. G. Vargin
The end of the nakosnik of the wife of Stepan Suturov from Nalimka, 1920. V. I. Surikov Museum of Art in Krasnoiarsk

Jewelry made from beaded ribbon with a cross (Stepan Suturov's wife), Selkups, 1920. Creator: A. G. Vargin
Jewelry made from beaded ribbon with a cross (Stepan Suturov's wife), Selkups, 1920. V. I. Surikov Museum of Art in Krasnoiarsk

Minsk:House of teenagers - sewing workshop, 1922. Creator: Unknown
Minsk: House of teenagers - sewing workshop, 1922. In the early part of the Stalin era, the Kremlin established a new administrative territory in the Soviet Far East--the Jewish Autonomous Region--to

Cutting and sewing circle. Club "Communist". Moscow, 1920-1929. Creator: Unknown. Cutting and sewing circle
Cutting and sewing circle. Club "Communist". Moscow, 1920-1929. In the early part of the Stalin era, the Kremlin established a new administrative territory in the Soviet Far East--the

Beaded Hairpin in a Woman's Hair, Ust'-Ozernoe, 1927. Creator: Dmitrii Innokent'evich Karatanov
Beaded Hairpin in a Woman's Hair, Ust'-Ozernoe, 1927. Novosibirsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife

Cutting and sewing club at the Kustsoyuz club, Odessa, 1927. Creator: Unknown
Cutting and sewing club at the Kustsoyuz club, Odessa, 1927. In the early part of the Stalin era, the Kremlin established a new administrative territory in the Soviet Far East--the Jewish Autonomous

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

"In Love with the Art of Sewing: From Betsy Ross to Margot Fonteyn" Sewing has always been a labor of love, an art form that weaves together history and creativity. Just like Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag, captured beautifully in Henry Mosler's painting, it symbolizes patriotism and craftsmanship. The Singer sewing machine ad from the 1890s reminds us of how this revolutionary invention transformed the way garments were made. The Singer Sewing Machines factory in Clydebank became a hub for innovation and mass production, bringing sewing into every household. In Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett hopes her handiwork will impress Mr. Bingley - a testament to how sewing was not only practical but also a means of expressing affection. "The Patchwork Quilt" evokes memories of cozy nights spent under handmade blankets stitched with care and love. Muriel Dawson's illustration "Little Miss Natty Fingers" captures the innocence and joy children find in learning this timeless skill. Hand block printing at Crysede Island Works in St Ives transports us to Cornwall in the 1930s when artisans meticulously crafted unique patterns on fabric using traditional techniques. A dressmaker's workshop is where dreams come true as fabrics are transformed into beautiful garments that make people feel confident and stylish, and is here that fashion takes shape through skilled hands guided by imagination. Even prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn knew the importance of attention to detail; she repaired her ballet shoes herself, ensuring perfection down to every stitch. This dedication exemplifies how sewing extends beyond clothing into other realms of artistry. Welsh Lady using a Singer Sewing Machine showcases how these machines brought convenience even to rural areas, empowering individuals with their own creative abilities while connecting communities through shared experiences. Lastly, Wheeler & Wilson industrial sewing machine engraving from c1890 illustrates how technology advanced alongside the art of sewing, enabling faster and more efficient production.