The White Sewing Machine was the first sewing machine from the White Sewing Machine Company.>"Grand Opening", Cleveland Herald 1878-12-26, reprinted in "Ready Reference Atlas and Almanac" (1879) published by the White Sewing Machine Company, retrieved 2010-09-07 It used a vibrating shuttle bobbin driver design. For that reason, and to differentiate it from the later White Family Rotary that used a rotary hook design instead, it came to be known as the "White Vibrating Shuttle" or "White VS". In 1879 it cost USD50 to US$125 (US$1097 to US$2744 adjusted) depending on which table or cabinet it was to be mounted in."Ready Reference Atlas and Almanac" (1879), "Retail Price List" (page 23), published by the White Sewing Machine Company, retrieved 2010-09-07 The White VS continued in production, with improvements, until the early 1900s.
There was also a 3/4-sized version called the "White Peerless".
Production
Versions
The White VS evolved over time through these versions:
YearModelShuttlePictureNotes1876–1882Model A (VS I)boatround tension control on upper arm, manual bobbin winder1882–1886VS IIaboat?round tension nut on lower head without dial1886–1889VS IIabulletround tension nut on lower head without dial1889–1892VS IIbbullet?round tension nut on lower head without dial1893–1928VS IIIbulletround tension control on upper head with dial
Portable versions
White developed a 3/4-sized version for the sake of portability, exactly as Singer was developing the 3/4-sized model VS-3/28/128. It was called the 'Peerless' and its evolution tracked that of its full-sized parent:
VersionBased onPictureNotesPeerlessVS Itensioner mounted on upper arm like the VS IWhite PeerlessVS IIa or IIb?tensioner mounted on lower head like the VS IIa and IIbNew White PeerlessVS IIIthree variants produced—A, B, and C – differing in case and hand-crank. "Directions for Using the New White Peerless Sewing Machine", differential parts lists on last pagesGemUnique design.very small, and very different from the VS and Peerless
Shuttle changes
The first versions of the White Sewing Machine Sewing machine reviews - advice and tips on all sewing machines used a "boat" shuttle that was comparable to those used in contemporary transverse shuttle machines. In 1886 the shuttle was changed to a bullet shape, with a thin rod in the interior upon which the bobbin rotates. The change was probably prompted by the bullet shuttle used in the new Singer Vibrating Shuttle machine, invented the year before, itself a derivative of the White machine. Still later, the shuttle was refined again for the Peerless machines. VersionShuttlePart numberVS I, VS IIa85 (body), 94 (bobbin)"Illustrations and Directions for Using the White Sewing Machine and Its Attachments", retrieved 2010-09-07VS IIa?VS IIb282 (body), 321 (bobbin)"Directions for Using the White Sewing Machine and Its Attachments, Book 4, page 13, retrieved 2010-09-07VS IIIoriginal shuttle used 1893-1900349 (assembly), 321 (bobbin)"Instructions for Using the White Sewing Machine, page 13, retrieved 2010-09-07?1554 (assembly), 321 (bobbin)"Directions for Using the New White Peerless Sewing Machine", parts list on last page, retrieved 2010-09-07
Badged variants
White produced VS machines under several different badges, in addition to the Peerless. These included 'Franklin' (same name as a Singer model 27 clone produced later), 'Mason D', 'Minnesota E', and 'Queen'.
History
D'Arcy Porter and George W. Baker designed the machine and are named as inventors on most of the sixThe White Sewing Machine's patents include 174703 (drivetrain and shuttle arm), 188537 (vibrating shuttle), 188767 (drivetrain), and 194067 (stop-motion device) original US patents, dated 1876–1877, that cover it.Grace Rogers Cooper, The Invention of the Sewing Machine (1968), retrieved 2010-08-05 The company literature would later look back adoringly on them, calling them "two of [White's] best mechanics" who had "perfected a new type of sewing machine, far superior to anything then on the market"."Since 1876 - A Few Facts about the White Sewing Machine Company" (1941)), retrieved 2010-08-05 from the Smithsonian Museum
At the time of its development, the machine was the White Sewing Machine Company's flagship product—so much so that it was simply named the "White Sewing Machine". It was later renamed the "White Vibrating Shuttle" when a rotary hook model named the White Family Rotary was added to the product line.
References
External links