The Remington Sewing Machine

The Remington sewing machine was one of the most popular machines in the USA during the 1870s and 1880s. All Remingtons were lockstitch, and mainly made with foot treadle operation, although a small number of hand operated models have been found. But sewing machines were not the only product made by the Remington company.

In the early 1800s, Eliphalet Remington began making firearms, both rifles and pistols, and by 1828, his Philadelphia company had become a very strong business. The firearms market was very profitable with the coming of the American Civil War, and although a number of different companies produced these arms, it has been said that Remington-made rifles and pistols were of top quality and as reliable as any.

With the eventual end of the Civil War, the demand for firearms naturally dropped, and Eliphalet Remington had to decide on another product to keep his company in business. The growth of the sewing machine industry in that era was obvious, and Remington decided that the production of sewing machines was a logical choice. The process of manufacturing sewing machines was similar to that of making firearms, and with the use of similar metals, using a mass production system—and with the demand for this new invention—the Remington sewing machine was to be a new name in this growing industry.

Now we turn back the clock to the early 1860s. With manufacturing facilities based in New York, the Empire sewing machine company was a moderately successful business. By the mid-1860s, the company had made around 15,000 of the Empire No. 1 lockstitch sewing machine. Over the next few years, they produced another 15,000 Improved Empire machines. In spite of the numbers of these Empire machines made, the company had not adopted some of the more modern systems available, perhaps due to patent issues. For example, both Empire models used the outdated “wheel feed” fabric promotion system, rather than the more compact and reliable four-motion feed introduced by Wheeler & Wilson. It has also been observed that the new Remington machine heads closely resembled the Improved Empire, now being manufactured in Ilion, New York.

In October, 1870, the Empire Sewing Machine company was bought by Remington. Because of their previous experience in mass production, Remington was able to produce sewing machines at a much lower price than Singer - $20 would buy a Remington, where a Singer could cost as much as $70 — depending on the model. Remington’s best year was 1876, producing 25,000 units. Most of these machines were sold on cast iron bases, with quality woodwork, some in magnificent parlour cabinets. Some of these machines were hand operated, and up to five improved models were made.

By the 1890s, however, the sewing machine industry was on the wane for many companies. Previously successful companies such as Florence, Grover & Baker, and Wheeler & Wilson closed their doors or were bought out by the more successful companies of White and Singer. Although having produced 75,000 machines by 1902, a fire in their Chicago factory did not help the Remington sewing machine division, and sewing machine production ceased. By this time, the Remington Typewriter company was producing quality office machinery, and the name lives on today. Interestingly, the first Remington typewriter, also called the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, came on what appears to be Remington’s early sewing machine table.

Post 1902, sewing machines bearing the Remington name were produced in Japan, but these had no association with the Remington Sewing Machine Company of the USA. Some Remington sewing machine collectors may be lucky enough to find, amongst the gadgets that come with their machine, a little “R” shaped attachment embossed with the words:

THE SEWING MACHINE, LIKE THE RIFLE GUN, THAT BEATS THE WORLD - IS THE REMINGTON

Those unfamiliar with firearms may not be aware of the fact that the rifle, a long-barrelled firearm with a rifled barrel to improve accuracy, was originally called a “rifle gun”, a moniker that was gradually shortened to just “rifle”.