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Singer Model 15 sewing machine and table used by Jewish Romanian woman

Object | Accession Number: 2017.218.1 a-d
2017.218.1_a-d 3/4 view Singer Model 15 sewing machine and table used by Jewish Romanian woman Click to enlarge 2017.218.1_a-d back Singer Model 15 sewing machine and table used by Jewish Romanian woman Click to enlarge 2017.218.1_a-d front Singer Model 15 sewing machine and table used by Jewish Romanian woman Click to enlarge

Singer sewing machine mounted on a wooden table with wrought iron legs that belonged to Reiza [Roza] Solomonskii, a Jewish woman who lived in Pepeni, then known as I.G. Duca (now Pepeny, Moldova), in a contested region of Romania. She was killed, with her daughter and sixty other Jews, in the summer of 1941 by Romanian gendarmes and local residents. She left the sewing machine by which she earned her livelihood with neighbors for safekeeping.

Date
1927  (manufacture)
before 1941  (use)
Geography
manufacture : Clydebank (Scotland)
use : Pepeny (Moldava)
Language
English
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Category
Sewing equipment and supplies
Object Type
Sewing machines (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
Expand all

About This Object

Physical Description
a. Heavy, black painted, cast iron, treadle powered sewing machine attached to the right side of a rectangular base plate. The L-shaped machine has a vertical body with a horizontal arm that extends to the left, suspended over the base plate. Attached to the right end of the machine are a spoked wheel and pulley disc, with an adjustment lever on the front and bobbin winder on the curved belt guard above the pulley. The arm has holes along the top for a spool pin (b) and rods. At the left end is a rectangular sewing head with tension levers and thread guides covered by a fitted, silver colored metal face plate embossed with floral scrollwork and stippling. Two vertical rods pass through the head with a needle on the bottom of one and an L-shaped presser foot on the other. A semi-circular slotted plate is fixed in the base below the needle. To the left of the plate is a cutout with a rectangular insert. On the back, where the arm meets the body, is a flat metal disc embossed with floral scrollwork. A circular shuttle mount attaches to the base underside, below the needle. There is a flat, narrow rectangular extension with 2 treadle belt holes on the right base and 2 mounting lugs on the back to attach the machine to a tabletop (c). The machine has remnants of gold, bronze, and silver painted geometric and floral designs. An engraved manufacture’s logo and serial number are attached.
b. Cylindrical silver painted metal spool holder with flat ends.
c. Flat, rectangular wooden tabletop with rounded corners and a sloped body to store a treadle powered sewing machine (a). At the front center is a hinged, horizontal rectangular leaf with an angled end that folds flush into the top. At the center is a rectangular hole with 2 circular metal mounts for a sewing machine on the inner edge. The body, nailed to the underside, has a flat rectangular back with a central rectangular hole and flat sides that follow the contour of the rounded underside, which is nailed to them and slopes upward at the front. There are 2 treadle belt holes on the right bottom.
d. Black, cast iron table base for a treadle powered sewing machine (a). It has 2 wrought, lattice work legs, each with an embossed manufacturer’s logo and 2 small wheeled feet. The legs are connected by an H-shaped cross brace with the manufacturer’s name wrought in the center. A large spoked, treadle belt wheel with a grooved edge and a curved belt guard are attached on the right. A pivoting, rectangular, lattice work treadle is attached near the bottom. It is connected to the wheel by a large vertical rod at the back right. The top of each leg is flat, so that it can be secured to the underside of a wooden storage tabletop (b).
Dimensions
a : 8.875 x 16.500 x 7.000 in. (22.543 x 41.91 x 17.78 cm.)
b : 3.125 x 0.125 x 0.125 in. (7.938 x 0.318 x 0.318 cm.)
c : 8.125 x 35.875 x 17.750 in. (20.638 x 91.123 x 45.085 cm.)
d : 26.625 x 23.750 x 18.875 in. (67.628 x 60.325 x 47.943 cm.)
Materials
a : cast iron, metal, paint
b : metal, paint
c : wood, metal
d : cast iron, metal
Markings
a. front, lower right, embossed : THE SINGER MANFG. CO. / TRADEMARK
a. base, front right corner, engraved : Y4774539
d. sides, embossed : THE SINGER MANFG. CO. / TRADEMARK
d. center, wrought : SINGER
Contributor
Manufacturer: Singer Sewing Machine Corp.
Subject: Reiza Solomonskii

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The sewing machine was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017.
Funding Note
The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use
 
Record last modified: 2017-10-16 15:09:14
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn562283

Also in Reiza [Roza] Solomonskii collection

The collection consists of a Singer sewing machine with table and scissors that belonged to Reiza [Roza] Solomonskii.

Date: approximately 1941

Singer sewing scissors used by Jewish Romanian woman

Singer sewing scissors used by Jewish Romanian woman

Object

Singer brand sewing scissors used by Reiza [Roza] Solomonskii, a Jewish woman who lived in Pepeni, then known as I.G. Duca (now Pepeny, Moldova), in a contested region of Romania. She was killed, with her daughter and sixty other Jews, in the summer of 1941 by Romanian gendarmes and local residents. She left the sewing machine and scissors by which she earned her livelihood with neighbors for safekeeping.

View Collection