Model of a Jacquard loom
Model of a Jacquard loom
Model of a Jacquard loom (Scale 1:2), unknown maker, 1867.
Jacquard made a commercial success of this loom accessory in 1804, which was based on inventions by Falcon, Vaucanson and Jacquard himself. Very complex designs can be woven using this sytem including an actual portrait of Jacquard himself. The contribution to the system design attributed to Jacquard is the automatic presentation of the card to the 'card reader'; the principle of the use of holes in a card to control the warps to be raised, being established many years earlier. It could be considered that the Jacquard Card is the earliest example of 'computer software' and uses a form of digital information transference. The punch card principle was later used comptometers and for machine tool control.
Model of a Jacquard loom
Model of a Jacquard loom; component
Model of a Jacquard loom
Model shuttle, from model Jacquard loom