Sewing Machine beside a Dress Form

In the 1850s the Singer company began selling sewing machines on installment plans, one of the first big firms to do so. That put a machine within reach of ordinary households. A black treadle model with gold decals stands in a sunny sewing room with a dress form for company, in a sewing machine jigsaw puzzle of soft, faded color. The dress form saves a lot of patience, since fabric can be pinned to it for hours without anyone having to stand still.