Sewing Machine
Object NameSewing Machine
Manufacturer
New Home Sewing Co.
(New York, founded 1877)
Date1882
OriginUSA
MediumWood and metals
Dimensions40 × 46 × 17 in. (101.6 × 116.8 × 43.2 cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineGift of Questers Dane Chapter 207, Mrs. Carl Bates. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number73.10.1ab
Status
On viewCollections
CultureAmerican
Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025:
The sewing machine in the Farm House Museum is located upstairs in a vacant bedroom converted into a sewing room for Dean Charles F. Curtiss’ wife, Olive.
New Companion sewing machines were made by the New Home Sewing Company. After Issac M. Singer patented the first commercially practical machine in 1851, sewing machines gained popularity with several companies manufacturing these domestic models. One such company was the New Home Sewing Machine Co., established in 1877 in New York. New Home released several models, but one commonality was to have a large cabinet (with storage drawers on both sides) providing ample workspace, with pedal operation to leave the user’s hands free to manipulate the fabric. The 1882 New Companion model in the Farm House has these adaptations. The New Home Company remained in business until it was bought by the Free Sewing Machine Co. in 1927, which eventually merged with the National Sewing Machine Company.
Sewing machines revolutionized the garment industry and made domestic life easier for women in the 19th century. The New Companion stands as a testament to how technology improved many lives in the Farm House and in the world.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Farm House Museum
