Isaac Singer

This 1869 portrait of Isaac Singer by Edward Harrison May hangs in the  National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

"An actor turned inventor, Isaac Singer democratized clothing production with the sewing machine he patented in 1851. Although not the first (Elias Howe introduced a design in 1846), Singer's machine was more reliable and capable of continuous stitching. Hailed two years after its appearance as 'one of the most efficient labor-saving devices ever introduced to public notice,' Singer's machine could sew 900 stitches per minute, more than twenty times as many as a skilled seamstress. Aiming the product at women and putting it within reach of a wide range of buyers, Singer and his business partner Edward Clark established an international commercial empire.

Singer commissioned this portrait while living in Paris, after scandals about his private life forced him to relocate to Europe. American artist Edward Harrison May painted him in clothing that reflects his wealth and trademark extravagance." -- National Portrait Gallery

Here's figure 2 of Singer's 1855 patent for a Sewing Machine.

 

Inventor

I M Singer