Details
H.R.H. Princess Frederick of Prussia's sewing machine:
a treadle sewing machine of Wheeler & Wilson pattern, by Pollack Schmidt & Co., Hamburg = Amerikanische Nahmaschinen-Fabrik, the mechanism with floral, key-pattern and vine-leaf engraved ornament and silver-plated and parcel-gilt finish, the stitch-plate etched with a view of Windsor Castle, titled in English, beneath a glazed cover with bevelled panels engraved with foliate scrolls, British Royal coat-of-arms to the front and Prussian coat to the (cracked) top, in naturalistically carved oak frame, the treadle with shaped and carved oak top on scrolling carved oak supports with Imperial eagle heads and paw feet, supporting gilt iron cross-frame, treadle and flywheel -- 29½ in (79 cm.) wide, with plush-bound instruction book, matching accessories box, four ivory cotton reels carved with crowns, on wood stand, and embroidery attachment (4)
a treadle sewing machine of Wheeler & Wilson pattern, by Pollack Schmidt & Co., Hamburg = Amerikanische Nahmaschinen-Fabrik, the mechanism with floral, key-pattern and vine-leaf engraved ornament and silver-plated and parcel-gilt finish, the stitch-plate etched with a view of Windsor Castle, titled in English, beneath a glazed cover with bevelled panels engraved with foliate scrolls, British Royal coat-of-arms to the front and Prussian coat to the (cracked) top, in naturalistically carved oak frame, the treadle with shaped and carved oak top on scrolling carved oak supports with Imperial eagle heads and paw feet, supporting gilt iron cross-frame, treadle and flywheel -- 29½ in (79 cm.) wide, with plush-bound instruction book, matching accessories box, four ivory cotton reels carved with crowns, on wood stand, and embroidery attachment (4)
Further details
The Princess Frederick was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, known as "Vicky". Her full name was Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, accounting for the giltmetal monogram on the accessories box (and, originally, on the instruction book). She married Prince Frederick in 1858, but it was not until 1888 that he succeeded to the throne, and he died only 99 days later, in the same year. The throne then passed to their eldest son, Kaiser Willhelm II.
In the 1860s, an English head nursemaid, Mrs. Wakelin, was appointed to the Potsdam palace; she apparently remained in that post until the 1880s, when she returned to England and re-married. The sewing machine has passed through her family to her great grand-daughter, having, according to family tradition, been given to Mrs Wakelin upon her retirement from the royal household.
Princess Vicky is known to have held progressive views, and to have been interested in the latest technology. It is natural, therefore, that she should have had a sewing machine made in the 1860s, and it is likely that she used it hereself. By the 1880s, however, it would have seemed a little old-fashioned and would have made an ideal present for a favoured servant -- who, in all probability, had also used it in the palace.
The machine itself carries a Patent Date of 1863; the instruction book, a very obvious English translation from the German, was printed in 1867. The illustrations show a standard version of the machine, although the embroidery attachment has differences which are clearly due to a design change rather than mere 'customising'. Photographs of Mrs Wakelin and of the Empress Frederick are included in the Lot.
In the 1860s, an English head nursemaid, Mrs. Wakelin, was appointed to the Potsdam palace; she apparently remained in that post until the 1880s, when she returned to England and re-married. The sewing machine has passed through her family to her great grand-daughter, having, according to family tradition, been given to Mrs Wakelin upon her retirement from the royal household.
Princess Vicky is known to have held progressive views, and to have been interested in the latest technology. It is natural, therefore, that she should have had a sewing machine made in the 1860s, and it is likely that she used it hereself. By the 1880s, however, it would have seemed a little old-fashioned and would have made an ideal present for a favoured servant -- who, in all probability, had also used it in the palace.
The machine itself carries a Patent Date of 1863; the instruction book, a very obvious English translation from the German, was printed in 1867. The illustrations show a standard version of the machine, although the embroidery attachment has differences which are clearly due to a design change rather than mere 'customising'. Photographs of Mrs Wakelin and of the Empress Frederick are included in the Lot.