Needless to say, the Singer Manufacturing Company is the most famous sewing machine manufacturer in the world. One of the few American sewing ma-chine manufacturers still in business, the company was originally founded by Isaac M. Singer, inventor of the first practical continuous sewing machine, in 1851. The company was initially located in Boston where Singer had in-vented his first machine. In 1853 the factory was moved to New York City in the heart of the industrial district
In April 1863, the company was incorporated under the name of The Singer Manufacturing Company. In 1873, the company was reincorporated in the state of New Jersey where it remains today.
The Singer Company was the first to pioneer the installment plan in 1856 with the introduction of the Singer Family model sewing machine. The retail price of the sewing machine was far above what the average family could afford. The idea of Isaac Singer’s business partner Edward Clark, it endeavored to place the sewing machine within the means of the average household.
Along with the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company, Singer never sold “stenciled” models. From the late 1850s, all Singer sewing machines were only sold through branch offices or authorized Singer dealers, unlike the many other manufacturers whose business mainly came from sup-plying department stores and mail-order companies.
Although the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company had initially been the moving force in the sewing machine industry, by the late 1870s the Singer Company had established itself as the foremost competitor in the sewing machine industry. Factories were established in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Russia. The popularity of Singer sewing machines was so great that in a number of languages, the word “Singer” became synonymous with the term “sewing machine”.
Because of the growing popularity of Singer sewing machines, other manufacturers both in the United States and in Europe began to pirate Singer models. Infringement ranged from using a few features which Singer owned the rights for, to outright cloning of Singer machines which was widely done in Germany.
Although not labeled as “Singer” machines, these clones were often identical if not exactly the same as Singer machines in shape, size, and mechanism. However, mechanically they were usually inferior and did not sew as well as genuine Singer machines.
In 1905, the Singer company acquired its one-time rival, the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company. Singer continued to manufacture a number of popular W&W domestic and industrial machines at the Bridgeport, Connecticut, plant for many years thereafter. In 1929, Singer expanded once again with it’s amalgamation with the Standard Sewing Machine Company.
During the Second World War, Singer (as the other American sewing machine companies) ceased sewing machine production in favor of manufacturing equipment deemed more necessary to the war effort. As a result, this led to a great shortage of sewing machines immediately after the war. By the mid-1950s, however, the market had become flooded with foreign made machines. European models possessed more features than the typical American models. However, the greatest threat came from Japan which dumped millions of cheap clone models on the market, driving all of the other American sewing machine companies out of business. The American manufacturers could not compete with cheap Asian labor and Japanese industries (paid for largely by the American taxpayer as a result of the Marshall Plan).
While smaller American manufacturers including New Home and White struggled and eventually succumbed to the onslaught of the Japanese companies, Singer was able to survive. However, Singer fared little better, with its market share having shrunk from 75% to a mere 25%.
Although the Singer Company still exists, they no longer manufacture sewing machines. After closing their last American factory in the 1980s, the company eventually sold off its sewing machine related assets. Singer is currently an aerospace company which does business mainly with the Department of Defense. The Singer sewing machine brand name is currently owned by the German Pfaff sewing machine company. Today, machines labeled SINGER are generally “badged” models manufactured in Asia by foreign companies.
A number of replica sewing machines have been or are currently being manufactured in Asia and labeled as SINGER machines. These include the Models 15, 20, and 221. They are currently being sold in North America as “vintage reproduction” machines. Collectors should be aware that these machines are of generally inferior quality to antique examples. Moreover, their relatively high prices do not make them a good buy.
The Model 15NL has been made in Taiwan since the early 1980s. An identical machine, the Model 15CH, is currently being manufactured in China. Both are based upon the Japanese HA2-2 class machines, which were copies of the Singer Model 15 manufactured from the late 1940s through 1960s. The machines are available as treadles, electric cabinet models, portable handcranks, and portable electric models.
Although they are mainly exported to developing nations where manually powered sewing machines are still necessary, they have been marketed in the United States as vintage reproductions beginning in the 1980s. However, compared to original Singer machines, the quality and workmanship is not up to par. Some of the machines tend to rattle and vibrate excessively due to the ill-fitting rotary hook mechanism. The electric versions are difficult to use because the machines are incapable of running slowly (which is due partly to the cheap motors that are used as well as the fact that the balance wheel should have a larger diameter to allow the machine to run slower).
The treadle and handcrank powered models are quite good and are capable of sewing a fine quality straight stitch. Unfortunately, the machines feature garish, crude decals (compared to original examples) and are painted with a comparatively thin layer of black enamel. They are decorated in either the Egyptian “Memphis” scheme or 1930s decoration scheme featuring lightning bolts and an eagle in the center of the bedplate.
Replicas of the Model 20 Sewhandy toy sewing machine were manufactured in Turkey in the 1980s. They are generally identical to the original except that they are marked with “MADE IN TURKEY.”
Two copies of the Model 221 Featherweight is also currently in production. One bears an outward similarity in appearance to the Featherweight and is constructed of aluminum as the original, but utilizes a Model 15 class shuttle and bobbin. Reportedly, the quality of the workmanship and the machine’s ability to sew is extremely poor, owing to the fact that they are being made in India.
Another, reportedly of better manufacture, is currently being made in Taiwan. However, the offering price is a rather steep $350-- more than the current going rate for an original example. Fortunately, because most of them are of inferior quality compared to originals, they can be easily distinguished from genuine Singer sewing machines and treadles.
--From The Encyclopedia of Antique Sewing Machines, 3rd Edition