Isaac Merrit Singer

n actor turned inventor, Isaac Singer democratized clothing production with the sewing machine he patented in 1851. Although not the first (Elias Howe introduced a design in 1846), Singer’s machine was more reliable and could sew nine hundred stitches per minute, whereas Howe’s model only sewed 250. Within two years, it was hailed as “one of the most efficient labor-saving devices ever introduced to public notice.” Aiming the product at women and putting it within reach of a wide range of buyers, Singer and his business partner Edward Clark established an international commercial empire.

Singer commissioned this portrait while living in Paris, after scandals about his private life forced him to relocate to Europe. U.S. artist Edward Harrison May painted him in clothing that reflects his wealth and notorious extravagance.