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Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry and is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines and their inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio, television, books and publications world wide.
Agenoria
or Agenora was the Roman Goddess of Silence and Industry giving relief
from pain and anxiety. She was a popular goddess among the industrious
Romans and also the protector of The
goddess has inspired many people over the centuries with ships, steam
engines and many others being named after her.
We
are concerned with Arthur Isaac Maxfield who gave the Agenoria name to
his factory and to his most stunning sewing machine. Designed in the
1860’s when beauty and practicality went hand in hand The Victorian
Agenoria has often been called the most beautiful sewing machine ever
made.
Considered one of the most beautiful sewing machines ever, excuse the dust! I call it protection from ultraviolet . The
superb sewing machine design was registered in 1869 and patented on Aug
20th 1870. The Agenoria sewing machine was originally manufactured by
Arthur Isaac Maxfield at his Agenoria works in Birmingham
using the Harris & Judson patented movement and had a balance wheel
that could be completely disengaged for bobbin winding. In fact they
actually advertised the machine as the Patent Loose Wheeled Model. The
first models went on sale for the princely sum of £4. 4s. (Four pounds
and four shillings) around two months average wages in 1870! Wow can you
imagine paying that today for a sewing machine. It just goes to show how
important they were. On
the brass needlebar cover was a Registered Design lozenge for 24th
February 1869 (just beneath the machine's name). Below that is an image
of the Goddess Agenoria herself sitting beside a lion while quietly
working. The trade mark of George and the Dragon was always on the
needleplate and later on the brass head plates. The images show St
George riding astride a stallion with a sword stabbing at a writhing
fire-breathing dragon below.
The brass end-plate showing the Goddess Agenoria The
machine was an instant success winning the silver medal of excellence at
the International London Exhibition of 1870. Later a special silver
plated model was presented to Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales.
She loved the machine and later gave her seal of approval to the
Agenoria. The Agenoria then became by Royal Appointment. Copies
of these silver plated models were sold for £6. 6s. The attachments were
silver plated on all m
Winners of the silver medal in 1870 Maxfield
must have run into financial problems or been offered a price he could
not refuse for he later sold the Agenoria to The Franklin Sewing Machine
Company of Park Road, Soho, Birmingham. They produced Maxfield’s machine at the Franklin Works,
The machine was sold with several different treadles Their
factory was at The machines were sold to dealers such as Cole & Co of
Boxes were pine or walnut depending on the price The
company out paced by the giants such as
Singer and
Jones finally
ceased trading in 1888. It made little news at the time as all the
papers were focused on the brutish murders in Whitechapel by the
infamous Jack the Ripper. While
the company may have faded into history they have left behind a legacy
of some of
the most beautiful sewing machines of all time. The End
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Well that's it, I do hope you enjoyed my work.
I spend countless hours researching and writing these pages and I love to hear from
people so drop me a line and let me know what you thought:
alexsussex@aol.com
Fancy a funny read: Ena Wilf & The One-Armed Machinist A brilliant slice of 1940's life: Spies & Spitfires
CONTACT: alexsussex@aol.com Copyright ©
Hi Alex,
Alex,
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