SINGER sewing machine

Presented sewing machine has a solid, yet quite sophisticated design. A wooden work table with a drawer is mounted on cast-iron legs. Two heavy legs are connected by a beam with a clear inscription “SINGER”; below there is a treadle. It is wide and can accommodate both feet. Rocked up and down, it drives a large wheel placed vertically on the right, next to the leg. A leather treadle belt is encircling the wheel. Thanks to a groove in the wheel's rim, the belt does not slip, but moves along the rim. When set in motion, the belt makes a small handwheel rotate and with it the entire mechanism of the sewing machine that is seated in the table top above. The machine is black, slender, richly decorated with gold ornaments. The decorations refer in style to the art of Ancient Egypt. The most prominent is the figure of the winged Sphinx, golden inscription “SINGER”, and geometric motifs. The set also includes a wooden cover for the machine. The lid, rounded at the top, bears the word “Singer” in black.

This eye-catching item is one of the variants of the extremely popular 27 model series sewing machine produced by Singer Manufacturing Company from the 1880s to the 1960s. These were lockstitch sewing machines designed for home use. Every machine is marked with a serial number, which makes it possible to decode the year of manufacture, class, and model. This particular machine, serial number Y7882922, is model 27, class 15K. It was used for lockstitch sewing, i.e. for sewing with a straight stitch consisting of two threads (lower and upper). The machine was manufactured in 1930, with 200,000 identical machines produced that year. Models from the 27 series were available in several versions and with various ornamental decals. This one is called a “Sphinx”, “Memphis”, or simply “Egyptian” finish. Singer's offer also included models ornamented with decal sets having Turkish, Persian, floral, animal, and Victorian motifs. Similar Singer models, over the years, featured three options for power: foot treadle, hand crank, and external electric motor. Starting in the 1920s, Singer also began offering customers electric motors to retrofit older treadle machines with electric power. As time went on, the popularity of compact machines without a worktable and cast-iron construction started increasing. However, the slender shape and the dominant black colour of their sewing machines remained unchanged until the 1960s, so for quite a long time. Singer machines from the first half of the 20th century, constructed entirely of metal elements, were famous for their durability. Spare parts were also relatively easy to obtain. The machines were designed to serve for as long as possible, which was promoted by the company with the slogan: “The woman’s faithful friend the world over”.

These devices could be purchased in Poland before World War II. They cost about 1000 zlotys, which was equivalent to several salaries of a civil servant. During World War II and the communist era, Singer machines for home use were still quite popular. Even in the 1980s you could still see them in many households, often with a still functional treadle. They were considered – and still are in some circles – to be indestructible machines. Amateur sewing, using home sewing machines, undoubtedly shone triumphs in times of the Polish People's Republic. Unending shortages of both fabrics and ready-made clothing forced many people to rework, experiment, sew elements of clothing from any materials they could acquire – often with great difficulty. With time, somewhat archaic foot-powered machines began to be used rather as decorative elements. As sewing tools, they were largely replaced by electric “Łuczniki” types 400 and 800 – machines produced by Zakłady Metalowe ŁUCZNIK S.A.