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“Peacefully Working to Conquer the World:” The Singer Manufacturing Company in Foreign Markets, 1854–1889

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2012

Robert B. Davies
Robert B. Davies
Affiliation:
Associate Professor of History, Moorhead State College
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Abstract

In the mid-1860's, Singer became the first American firm to produce and market extensively in Europe. Without using government aid, the company built an aggressive and effective organization which became a model for other overseas operations. Professor Davies traces Singer's foreign undertakings from their modest beginnings in 1854 to acknowledged dominance of the industry in 1889.

Type
Research Article
Information
Business History Review , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , Autumn 1969 , pp. 299 - 325
Copyright
Copyright © The President and Fellows of Harvard College 1969

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References

1 See McKenzie, Frederick A., The American Invaders: Their Plans, Tactics and Progress (New York, 1901).Google Scholar

2 For information concerning Singer's private life see, New York Daily Tribune, December 28, 1875 and January 11, 1876; New York Herald, December 5, 1859; Sewing Machine Times, V (November 25, 1895), 1.

3 New York Daily Tribune, October 17, 1882 cites in its obituary of Clark that they met in 1848 and that the I. M. Singer & Company began that year. As I have found no corroborating documentary evidence of this, I tend to discount it. Singer Manufacturing Company Papers, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, Box 224.

4 Lewton, Frederick L., “The Servant in the House: A Brief History of the Sewing Machine,” Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution: 1929 (Washington, 1930), 570, 572.Google Scholar

5 Clark to James M. Miller, n.d., Singer Papers, Box 189.

6 Ibid., Box 224.

7 Clark to Fleischmann, January 13, 1855, ibid., Box 189.

8 The I. M. Singer & Company in July 1854 took out a license under Howe's 1846 patent and further agreed to pay Howe $15,000 in settlement for royalties on the machines made and sold by it prior to that time. Howe's terms were stiff. He required all companies to pay him $25.00 on every machine they sold. Lewton, “Servant in the House,” 572, 578.

9 Ibid., 578; Agreement dated October 24, 1856, Singer Papers, Box 225.

10 Scientific American, VII (July 17, 1852), 349; editorial, “Foreign Patents,” Ibid., IX (July 1, 1854), 333.

11 Receipts from Howe, October 2, 1854, and January 1, 1855, Singer Papers, Box 224.

12 Scientific American, IX (September 17, 1853), 6.

13 Clark to Fleischmann, January 13, 1855, Singer Papers, Box 189.

14 Contract between the Company and Fleischmann, May 18, 1858; Fleischmann and Proctor to Singer and Clark, April 5, 1855, ibid., Box 189.

15 Company to Callebout, April 24, 1855; Company to Fleischmann, January 13, 1855; Company to Proctor, July 16, 1855, ibid., Box 189.

16 Clark to Proctor, March 13, 1857, ibid., Box 189.

17 Contract of Company with Callebovit, May 18, 1858, ibid., Box 225; Clark to Fleischmann, March 29, 1858, ibid., Box 189.

18 Scientific American, III (September 29, 1860), 211; Hunt's Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, XLVI (1862), 210; U.S. Census, 1860, Manufactures of the United States (Washington, 1865), clxxix.Google Scholar

19 Comments of George B. Woodruff, “Report of the Proceedings on the Occasion of Breaking Ground for the Singer Manufacturing Company's New Factory at Kilbowie, near Glasgow, Scotland, May 18, 1882,” 15, Singer Papers, Box 233.

20 Petition of inventors and manufacturers of sewing machines to U.S. Congress, in opposition to a second extension of Howe's patent due September 10, 1867, n.d., ibid., Box 227; Annual Report of Consul James H. Anderson, Hamburg, November 1, 1862, December 1, 1863, Archives of the United States, Washington, D.C., Record Group 59, Consular Despatches.

21 A petition of mechanics of sewing machines in opposition to a second extension of Howe's 1846 patent, n.d., Singer Papers, Box 227.

22 Minutes, Board of Directors Meeting, Singer Manufacturing Company, June 6, 1863, March 16, 1870.

23 Proctor to Howe, September 21, 1864, Singer Papers, Box 12. See also Scientific American, XVII (November 9, 1867), 293; Clark to New York, September 10, 1864, Singer Papers, Box 12.

24 Sewing Machine News, VI (August 1884), 7.

25 Circular letter dated December 18, 1882, Singer Papers, Box 196.

26 McKenzie to Clark, May 31, 1881, Box 193.

27 Woodruff to New York, June 21, 1865, Box 17.

28 Woodruff to New York, May 17, 1865, Box 16.

29 Woodruff to New York, October 21, 1865, Box 19.

30 Woodruff to New York, February 4, 1865, Box 15.

31 Woodruff to New York, January 21, 1865, Box 15.

32 Sewing Machine Advance, II (January 15, 1880), 6; Woodruff to McKenzie, February 5 and 10, 1880, Singer Papers, Box 192.

33 Woodruff to McKenzie, February 10 and May 7, 1880, Box 192.

34 Woodruff to W. E. Catermele, agent at Norwich, England, July 23, 1881, Box 193.

35 Ibid. See also circular letter, Woodruff to all English agents, September 17, 1880, Box 193.

36 Woodruff to McKenzie, January 5, 1882, Box 195.

37 Ibid. See also London office circular letter, March 2, 1883, Box 196.

38 Woodruff to McKenzie, January 5, 1882, Box 195.

39 Woodruff to McKenzie, October 24, 1882, Box 196.

40 Woodruff to McKenzie, October 20, 1882, Box 196.

41 Circular letter to British agents, “strictly confidential,” from London office, September 21, 1885, Box 201.

42 Woodruff to McKenzie, October 20, 1882, Box 196.

43 Woodruff to McKenzie, March 26, 1886, Box 204.

44 McKenzie to Robert Boker & Co., November 19, 1889, Box 212.

45 Frederick Neidlinger to New York, March 27, 1863, Box 7.

46 F. Neidlinger to New York, April 22, 1864, Box 11.

47 George Neidlinger to McKenzie, July 16, 1886, Box 204.

48 G. Neidlinger to McKenzie, November 11, 1884, Box 199, and March 20, 1886, Box 204.

49 Hamburg office regulations, 1887, written in G. Neidlinger's script, Box 207.

50 Minutes of the meeting of agents at the New York office, April 24, 1877, Box 191; G. Neidlinger to McKenzie, February 19, 1884, Box 198. Sales were 50,000 machines in 1876 and 163,766 in 1883.

51 Sewing Machine Advance, IX (January 15, 1887), 8 citing La Machine à Coudre.

52 Petition of German sewing machine manufacturers, 1888, Singer Papers, Box 210.

53 Journal of Domestic Appliances and Sewing Machine Gazette, XVII (July 1, 1889), 28.

54 Minutes, Board of Directors Meeting, Singer Manufacturing Co., May 8, 15, and 28, 1867.

55 Miller, Ronald and Tivy, Joy (editors), The Glasgow Region: A General Survey (Edinburgh, 1958), 173.Google Scholar

56 Woodruff to New York, June 19, 1867, Singer Papers, Box 33; New Jersey Office of Bureau of Statistics of Labor and Industries, Seventh Annual Report (Trenton, 1885), I, 261.

57 Woodruff to New York, November 23, 1867, Singer Papers, Box 36.

58 British Association for the Advancement of Science, Notices of Some of the Principal Manufactures of the West of Scotland (Glasgow, 1876), 122n.Google Scholar The author cites an 1873 speech of G. B. Woodruff giving this statistic. The Company's desire for secrecy was very evident in 1876. The author relates, “We regret that we have not been permitted to make even the most casual inspection of the internal arrangements of the factory, and of the operations carried on therein….” Scientific American, XXIV (June 24, 1871), 406.

59 New Jersey Office of Bureau of Statistics of Labor and Industries, Secenth Annual Report (Trenton, 1885), I, 262. For a description of these works see MacLean, Angus (ed.), Local Industries of Glasgow and the West of Scotland (Glasgow, 1901), 79–80Google Scholar; Journal of Domestic Appliances and Sewing Machine Gazette, XIII (June 1, 1885), 29; Minutes, Board of Directors Meeting, Singer Manf. Co., March 18, 1885; Report to Stockholders, March 19, 1884; Singer Papers, Box 198.

60 G. Neidlinger to New York, February 28, 1882, Singer Papers, Box 195.

61 G. Neidlinger to McKenzie, April 10, 1883, ibid., Box 197.

62 Minutes, Board of Directors Meeting, Singer Manf. Co., March 18, 1885.

63 Kilbowie booklet, 22, Singer Papers, Box 233.

64 Kobler, John, “Mr. Singer's Money Machine,” Saturday Evening Post (July 7, 1951), 88.Google Scholar Comment made by Sir Douglas Alexander, Singer president, 1905–1949.

65 Commercial and Financial Chronicle, XIII (December 2, 1871), 729–730, XXI (December 4, 1875), 524; New York Daily Tribune, January 20 and 25, 1872.

66 Fairfield, George A., “Report on Sewing Machines,” in U.S. Commissioners to the Vienna Exposition, 1873 Reports: 1875–1876 (Washington, 1875), 20.Google Scholar

67 U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor, Export of Manufactures from the United States and the Distribution by Articles and Countries, 1800–1906 (Washington, 1907), 11, 31.Google Scholar

68 Sewing Machine News, VII (February 1885), 11, VI (November 1884), 7.

69 “Neglect of a Great Market,” Sewing Machine News, VI (February 1884), 13; ibid., VI (May 1884), 10.

70 “No New Companies,” editorial, Sewing Machine News, VIII (June 1887), 10.

71 New York World, December 9, 1887.

72 “Where Our Real Markets Are,” Sewing Machine News, VII (October 1885), 12; ibid., VI (November 1884), 7.

73 G. Neidlinger to McKenzie, January 16, 1884, Singer Papers, Box 198; see also October 2, 1884, Box 199, for an elaboration of his views.

74 Petition of German manufacturers, 1888, ibid., Box 210.

75 “Confidential” report to stockholders, March 19, 1884, Singer Papers, Box 197.

76 John Whitie to Edward M. Sang, March 6, 1883, Singer Papers, Box 196.

77 “Comparative Statement of Remittances Received for Current Accounts from Offices, January 1 to October 26, 1888 and 1889,” ibid., Box 210; statement of the Shanghai office, 1883, Box 207; United States Treasury Department, Bureau of Statistics, Commerce of the United States with Asian Countries, 1821–1895 (Washington, 1896), 16.Google Scholar

78 Woodruff to New York, December 2 and 24, 1887, Singer Papers, Box 207.

79 John Mitchell to London office, August 25, 1888, ibid., Box 209.

80 Singer's go-it-alone attitude in seeking and exploiting foreign markets does not hold as true after 1900 as before. The twin factors of European protectionist sentiment and legislation together with Washington's desire to aid in the expansion of American business, accounts for some of Singer's behavior after this time. The late Milton C. Lightner (Singer president 1949–1958) told the author in 1965 that a reason why his predecessor Sir Douglas Alexander (Singer president 1905–1949) did not become an American citizen was to enable the management to solicit the assistance of either American or British consular officials when conditions warranted. The company's letterbooks after 1900 confirm this recollection.