Figure 126. — Watson sewing machine. 1856. illustrated 

 in Scientific American, December 13. 1856. The earliest 

 Watson machines were two-thread lockstitch machines, as 

 described in the Scientific American. August 10, 1850. Although 

 the magazine reported that the inventor had applied for a 

 patent, the earliest lockstitch patent issued to William C. 

 Watson was on March 1 1, 1856. A few of his machines were 

 made in 1850, the article continued, "several of these ma- 

 chines are nearly finished . . . persons desirous of seeing 

 them can be gratified by calling upon Messrs. Jones & Lee." 

 A Watson machine was exhibited by Jones & Lee at the 

 Sixth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics 



Association held in Boston in September 1850. 



In 1853 a Watson machine was exhibited at the New York 

 Industry of All Nations Exhibition, but this was a single- 

 looping machine; Watson received a patent for this single- 

 thread machine on November 25, 1856. 



In the December 13, 1856, issue of Scientific American a 

 machine called Watson's •"Family" sewing machine was 

 illustrated and described. It was a small machine (only 8 

 by 5 inches) manufactured by Watson & Wooster and selling 

 for S 10. References to the Watson single-thread machine 

 occur as late as 1860, but no examples are known to have 

 survived. (.Smithsonian photo 4822I-B.) 



116 



