.. where the first thing that made the change between early Victorian and Mid-Victorian was the sewing machine.
The concept had been around for many years, but the ability to use a model for every day women or “light” sewing in industry had eluded inventors. In 1755 German Charles Weisenthal patented the needle that would lead the big, heavy industrial machines of the past into functional and diversified pieces of equipment.
In 1804 Frenchman Thomas Saint with James Henderson and Scott Duncan developed “embroidery machines” building on the Weisenthal model.
(Photo: Weisenthal left with the Thomas Saint 1790 machine which built upon the Weisenthal needle concept)