Richards Sole Cutting Patent Model
Richards Sole Cutting Patent Model
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- Description
- Richard Richards of Lynn, Massachusetts received patent number 3,857 on December 16, 1844 for his invention of a machine for cutting leather soles for shoes. The leather is placed upon the platform, and operating the treadle causes the machine to move the leather into position, cut a sole, and move the cut sole away from the blade. Richards had previously been a shoe last maker in Lynn, a city that became synonymous with shoe making as mechanization began to take over the industry in the second half of the 19th century. While Richards machine was a step towards mechanization of the shoe industry, it was still only a step in the process. The tedious task of hand lasting each shoe remained, but a machine patented by Jan Matzeliger of Lynn in 1883 solved this problem, increasing the rate of production by 70.
- Object Name
- patent model, sole cutting machine
- date made
- 1840 - 1844
- patent date
- 1844-12-16
- patentee
- Richards, Richard
- inventor
- Richards, Richard
- place made
- United States: Massachusetts, Lynn
- associated place
- United States: Massachusetts, Lynn
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- ID Number
- AG.003857
- catalog number
- 003857
- accession number
- 89797
- patent number
- 3,857
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Agriculture
- Industry & Manufacturing
- American Enterprise
- Exhibition
- American Enterprise
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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