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| Sunday, November 19, 2006 |
| A must have item? |
 I have been working on a Christmas present project that has me sorting thru boxes and boxes of old family photographs and scrapbooks. Today I came across this photo of a Singer Sewing Machine delivery (click on image to see larger). The picture stood out since it was the only one without people - just the crated sewing machine on the back of a horse drawn carriage.
 I have to wonder why my great-uncle took a picture of this? Was the purchase of a sewing machine such a big event? Big enough that you rush out and snap a photo before it is unboxed and brought inside? I wish I knew what year this was taken. My only clue is the next photo which shows my great-uncle changing a flat tire. This photo was found on the opposite page from the delivery photo. I assume they are from the same time period.
But back to the sewing machine. How much did they cost back then? Today I saw a Singer sewing machine at Target for under $100. The technology is cheap these days. Yet, I still don't have one in my house. I think about buying one, but just have not done it yet.
Back when the pictured machine was being delivered, was it the must have item? The laptop computer, flat-screen tv, Sony Playstation of its day? What could I buy that would cause me such excitement that I have to rush out and take a picture? What would get you this excited? Leave a comment - oh, and if you know what kind of car is pictured above or can give me an educated guess about the year these photos were taken I would very much appreciate the info! |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 9:33 PM *
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| 7 Comments: |
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Yes, when that picture of the Singer sewing machine was taken it was a very big deal. Up until the invention of the sewing machine all sewing was done by hand, by the women of the family. It was great time and labor saver.
I have no idea of the cost, but I'm sure for the average working family it was a major purchase.
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I'd take a picture of a new house or a new car. A piece of furniture or an appliance probably wouldn't get me this excited. Unless it was something sexy like solar panels or a windmill that I was going to use to power my home or a new green roof. I'd take a picture of those things being installed.
As for the dates on the pictures, I wouldn't venture to say, altho if I saw the whole album I might be able to tell. I'm an archivist, not a historian, so I could tell you how to care for it better than I could actually date it. (If it's in one of those old acidic albums with black pages, it's probably already starting to deteriorate).
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As far as I can tell, I think it was the original singer sewing machine, the pictures look old enough for it to be that, and not the techy one we have these days. My mother had one, the one which u have to pedal to get the needle moving and hence sew - and she paid a 500 rupees for it in early 1980's - that's roughly $10 now.
She truly treasured it and kept it in pristine condition, 500 rupees was a lot when the average salary itself was maybe a little more than 2000 rupees/month.
I recently saw it [in Indian itself] being sold as an antique. for a grand total of 15,000 rupees.
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It's hard to tell from the pic, but I think my grandmother had that same sewing machine, or at least the wooden cabinet for it. It's kind of amazing that they were still delivering them with horses! I love old photos like this. And I agree with the first commenter, I think back then it was a really big deal. Did you ever read the Little House on the Prairie books? In one of those, the mother gets a sewing machine after the family saves and saves for at least a year...
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It was a huge purchase back then both in cost and excitement. Many times it was the first complex machine a family would own. They were so expensive (a machine might cost 20% of the family's annual income) Singer offered an installment plan - one of the earliest uses of consumer credit for the average family.
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"What could I buy that would cause me such excitement that I have to rush out and take a picture? What would get you this excited?"
In reference to this, the only goods I've taken pictures of are (1) our solar panels as well as their installation process, (2) our friends' solar panels and (3) the empty bottles from high-end wines that I've purchased, cellared, and drunk.
Interesting to also note what I have NOT taken pictures of:
our solar hot water system
our hybrid vehicle (but I HAVE taken pictures of my bicycle)
our family
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Thank you! Great information.
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Yes, when that picture of the Singer sewing machine was taken it was a very big deal. Up until the invention of the sewing machine all sewing was done by hand, by the women of the family. It was great time and labor saver.
I have no idea of the cost, but I'm sure for the average working family it was a major purchase.