Singer Lockstitch sewing machine model of 1851, by I. M. Singer and Company or the Singer Manufacturing Company, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 1851-1855

This is an example of the first model of sewing machine marketed by Isaac Merritt Singer (1811-1875), the first sewing machine to achieve commercial success. Four individual features of the design were new, and Singer was obliged to pay compensation to Elias Howe (1819-1867) for infringement of his patent of the use of a needle with the eye near the point. These heavy machines were designed for commerical, rather than domestic, use. Many were supplied in a wooden packing case which could then be used as a bench.