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White Sewing Machines - To Have And To Keep
Thomas H. White founded the White Manufacturing Company in 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts, a sewing machines producing company. Eighteen years later it would have become the White Sewing Machine Company and in 1964 it would have taken the name White Consolidated Industries.
The entire name changing process was a precursor for lack of stability and after less then 130 years the company was sold to the Swedish appliance manufacturer Electrolux. The White sewing machine models were integrated, produced and developed by Electrolux for 20 years, and then it sold some of its product lines under the brand Husqvarna together with some of its own brand models.
The last White sewing machine models still produced became part of the lower end of the Huskvarna Viking brand. The only remaining part of the White brand was the name merged with another late acquisition, forming the White-Westinghouse brand; this brand though didn’t include any sewing machines.
The lack of new products under this name only increases the value of the remaining ones. Especially valuable are the ones that come with original papers and manuals, but also with the support cabinet or desk. The craftsmanship of both sewing machines and desks is infused with the passion and skill of the manufacturers, creating an object valuable not only for its practical purpose, but from an artistic point of view also.
Not only were the iron bodies of the White sewing machines decorated, but the work-tables too, being carved with delicate floral or abstract patterns, having smooth, rounded edges and a painted ruler just in front of the sewing machine. Some of the older treadle models had iron legs and treadle making it really heavy and difficult to transport.
A lighter work-table was produced, a sort of short-legged cabinet with a few drawers that is to be placed on another surface for support and height. A lot smaller and less heavy, this kind of cabinet was built between 1800 and 1900 and a piece in good condition can be hard to find; hard, but not impossible.
EBay is a great place to find antiques at reasonable prices and it’s no different for White sewing machines. There are quite a few models available, including accessories and even manuals. Those early manuals were pretty basic, but they contained all the information you needed on the sewing machine, including maintenance like cleaning and oiling. Unlike electronic sewing machines, the older White models are mechanical and need regular maintenance to function at their best.
There aren’t too many places to go if you need an antique sewing machine fixed or restored, not many specialized places anyway, but luckily the internet puts its best foot forward in this case. Searching online is the best way to start and the ISMACS (International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society) site is full of interesting information, providing manuals for antique sewing machines and most importantly being a mean of communication between different vintage sewing machines owners which in the end might be the most important information source of all.
Johnny Johnston is a retired law enforcement officer with a passion for these machines and on his site, theoldsewingmachineman.com, he offers repairing and reconditioning services, antique sewing machines for buying, even spare parts. Encouraging people to ask questions and share their experiences he is doing his part for the White sewing machines heritage.