In an earlier post I waxed poetic about the acquisition of two early 20th-century treadle sewing machines and the tender disassembling of the cabinet for one. I am always impressed by the quality of the craftsmanship of these older machines. This same respect for machinery (the cutting edge technology of its day) is manifested in the instruction manuals published for the buyers.
I was able to track down manuals for both my Wheeler and Wilson and Singer machines. One is a scan of the original. The other is a re-creation by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. What makes these 'cool books' is the craftsmanship of the illustrations and the detailed information provided.
(The Singer manual is a little less cool, however, as only the engraved images are retained. The typeface and original page layout are missing. Still eminently serviceable in terms of use; just lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.)
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