Sewing Machine c. 1940

Paul Poffinbarger rendered this sewing machine in watercolor, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this period, the sewing machine revolutionized both domestic labor and the garment industry, profoundly altering the lives of women and laborers. Poffinbarger’s delicate rendering of this machine asks us to consider the complex relationship between industrial progress and the intimacy of the domestic sphere. What does it mean to enshrine this utilitarian object as a subject of art? The sewing machine facilitated new forms of labor and capital, yet it also became entwined with women's identities, skills, and creativity. Think about the stories, the labor, and the hands that have guided cloth through such a machine. As you consider this image, reflect on the quiet power and gendered histories embedded in this everyday object. Poffinbarger’s artwork invites us to recognize the emotional and personal dimensions interwoven with the societal changes brought about by such inventions.