Loom with Jacquard Mechanism

Jean-Marie Jacquard, a Frenchman, designed a machine, based on designs of earlier inventors, that mechanized the "pattern-designing" process. This invention was the major impetus to the development of the modern textile industry. He introduced his loom in 1805. Until that time, weavers in Asia and Europe had used the drawloom, or "simple loom" for 1200 years to produce large area designs. Every warp thread is attached to a loop suspended from a draw cord. Before each throw of the shuttle, a "drawboy", an operator at the side or on top of the loom, pulls the draw cords, lifting the warp threads to produce the desired pattern. The weaver sitting at the loom does the actual weaving of the design. He throws the shuttle, inserting the pick, and then beats in the weft. With the Jacquard mechanism attached to a loom, punched cards control the selection of the warp threads, which are raised mechanically to form the design. This mechanism made the "drawboy" redundant. This led to hostilities which culminated in threats to Jacquard's life. Jacquard persisted and successfully proved the advantages of his invention.