The servant in the house
During the nineteenth century, the United States Patent Office Museum of
Models exhibited models of patents that had been granted. Ultimately, the
number of models on display reached 150,000 and in 1926 Congress decided that
the models should be dispersed. The Smithsonian was given the first chance to
select models for the national collection, a responsibility shared by Museum
curators Frederick Lewton and Carl Mitman. Fortunately for the Textile
Collection, Lewton collected heavily in textile manufacturing, particularly
sewing machines.