Mechanical engineer Frederck Sickels devoted his career to improving steam engines and advancing their use at sea. He was particularly interested in developing steam-assisted steering, a topic dear to many inventors as ships became larger and heavier through the middle of the nineteenth century. This patent model demonstrates Sickels's idea for a steering apparatus where steam pressure in a pair of cylinders would both control the side-to-side motion of a vessel's rudder but also hold the rudder stationary against the force of the surrounding water.
Sewing Machine Patent model, Improvement in Sewing Machines, 1873. Helen A. Blanchard, of Boston, Massachusetts. Patent No. 141987 Issued August 19, 1873. This patent model for an improvement in sewing machines introduced the buttonhole stitch. Blanchard received some twenty-eight patents, many having to do with sewing. She is best remembered for inventing the zigzag overstitch sewing machine.