This sewing machine (with attachments and instruction booklet), called the “Priscilla,” was sold to Miss Kathryn D. Jameson of Friendship, Maine, in 1924, by the Priscilla Needlework Company of Boston, a mail order house. The “Priscilla” was a private brand manufactured by the New Home Sewing Machine Company of Orange, Massachusetts. The company manufactured both vibrating shuttle and rotary machines and many were “stenciled” or “badged” with brand names like “Priscilla.” By the 1890’s, the New Home Sewing Machine Company was the largest employer in Franklin County, Massachusetts, with an annual production of over 100,000 machines. After World War II, the introduction of cheaper Japanese machines into the U.S. market severely crippled American sewing machine manufacturers. Eventually, the company failed and “New Home” was absorbed by Janome, a Japanese corporation, in 1957.
New Home Sewing Machine Company. New Home Sewing Machine with attachments distributed by Priscilla Needlework Company. ca. 1920. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/m-70/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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