Singer Sewing Machine

Object/Artifact

-

Windham Textile and History Museum

Singer Sewing Machine, Front View: A vintage Singer sewing machine, intricately adorned with gold detailing, is situated on a wooden base on a table surrounded by various household items, including a blue teapot, a bowl of fruit with a red pear prominently visible, a white lidded dish, and a document partially visible to the left, creating a nostalgic atmosphere that invites reflections on the historical significance and craftsmanship of domestic tools from a bygone era.
Singer Sewing Machine, Front View

A vintage Singer sewing machine, intricately adorned with gold detailing, is situated on a wooden base on a table surrounded by various household items, including a blue teapot, a bowl of fruit with a red pear prominently visible, a white lidded dish, and a document partially visible to the left, creating a nostalgic atmosphere that invites reflections on the historical significance and craftsmanship of domestic tools from a bygone era.

Name/Title

Singer Sewing Machine

Entry/Object ID

2024.37.01

Description

Singer sewing machine. Table-top model. Steel with wooden base. Black with gold leaf decoration. Model #27, serial number G5517926, allotted June 15, 1910. One of 50,000 allotted. (See https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/serial-numbers/singer-g-series-serial-numbers.html.)

Use

Home sewing.

Context

The donor writes: "This Singer sewing machine has been in my family since circa 1913. I inherited it from my mother, Annie Leccese Ciccone, in 2006." "My grandfather Giuseppe (Joseph) Leccese was born in Gaeta, Italy in 1890 and immigrated to the USA in 1912, leaving his beloved Giulia Aquaviva, born in 1885, in Italy with the promise of sending for her when he saved enough money to do so. He arrived in the port of Boston (rather than Ellis Island) and, as required at the time, had a sponsor, a job, and a place to live waiting for him. He sent for my grandmother circa 1913. He obtained United States citizenship in 1929." "Giuseppe and Giulia were married at St. Leonard's Catholic Church, Hanover Street, Boston, soon after her arrival in the United States. They settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts to raise a family of eight children. (The second child and only male, Salvatore Leccese, US Army, died on Guadalcanal during WWII. He received the Silver Star for saving the lives of his soldiers of his platoon and also the Purple Heart.)" "Giulia brought this machine with her from Italy. It was passed down through the Leccese family ending with my mother, Annie Leccese Ciccone." "My mother was eleven years old when her mother died. Annie was the seamstress of the family, making her sisters' clothes and her own. Giuseppe, now a widower with meager income, would provide money for making the sisters' clothing, but not enough to buy them."

Collection

Other Sewing Machines Collection

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Singer Sewing Machine Company

Date made

1910

Time Period

20th Century

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Machine, Sewing

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Machine, Needlework

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Needleworking Equipment

Nomenclature Class

Textileworking T&E

Nomenclature Category

Category 04: Tools & Equipment for Materials

Material

Steel, Wood

Color

Black, Gold, Silver, Brown

Location

Location

Exhibit Room

Mill Worker's Kitchen Exhibit

* Untyped Location

Main Museum Building

Category

Exhibit

Date

November 8, 2024

Condition

Overall Condition

Fair

Date Examined

Nov 7, 2024

Examined By

Eves, J.

Cleanliness

Cleaned by curatorial staff

Surface

Paint chipped. Gold leaf badly worn. Power mechanism missing.

Web Links and URLs

Singer Sewing Machine Serial Numbers, Series G

Provenance

Provenance Detail

The donor writes: "This Singer sewing machine has been in my family since circa 1913. I inherited it from my mother, Annie Leccese Ciccone, in 2006." "My grandfather Giuseppe (Joseph) Leccese was born in Gaeta, Italy in 1890 and immigrated to the USA in 1912, leaving his beloved Giulia Aquaviva, born in 1885, in Italy with the promise of sending for her when he saved enough money to do so. He arrived in the port of Boston (rather than Ellis Island) and, as required at the time, had a sponsor, a job, and a place to live waiting for him. He sent for my grandmother circa 1913. He obtained United States citizenship in 1929." "Giuseppe and Giulia were married at St. Leonard's Catholic Church, Hanover Street, Boston, soon after her arrival in the United States. They settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts to raise a family of eight children. (The second child and only male, Salvatore Leccese, US Army, died on Guadalcanal during WWII. He received the Silver Star for saving the lives of his soldiers of his platoon and also the Purple Heart.)" "Giulia brought this machine with her from Italy. It was passed down through the Leccese family ending with my mother, Annie Leccese Ciccone." "My mother was eleven years old when her mother died. Annie was the seamstress of the family, making her sisters' clothes and her own. Giuseppe, now a widower with meager income, would provide money for making the sisters' clothing, but not enough to buy them."

Created By

historian@millmuseum.org

Create Date

November 7, 2024

Updated By

historian@millmuseum.org

Update Date

November 9, 2024