Description:Treadle operated 'Singer sewing machine' made from cast iron painted black with gold decoration. It was used to stitch together the parts of the shoe upper.
In 1856 sewing machines, originally designed to stitch cloth, were modified to stitch leather. It was first introduced at Bostock's factory on Ward Street, Stafford in 1856, but violent resistance from the shoemakers meant it was quickly withdrawn. A few years later it was a standard machine in shoe factories across the country.
This model dates from later in the 19th century and was used in one of Stafford's many shoe factories.