History of Textile Inventions | Textile Evolution

1698

One of the English inventors and engineers name Thomas Savery invented the used steam-powered device which was the first commercial steam pump. The pump was also known as the “Savery Engine”. The inventor used the pressure of water coming from the flooded mines which was a force behind his patented steam engine.

1733

The flying shuttle loom was invented in the year 1733 by the English inventor John Kay. The flying shuttle is regarded as the most important and great invention which has contributed at large to the industrial revolution.

1764

An English weaver, carpenter, and inventor James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny- a multispindle frame that was the most innovative machine that helped in the industrialization of the textile industry and was a great contributor to the early industrial revolution.

1769

The credit for inventing and patenting the water-powered spinning frame goes to Sir Richard Arkwright. Sir Arkwright also holds the patent for the rotary card engine which was used to convert the raw cotton into the cotton lap before the final spinning process. He was the one who first developed factories mechanized for spinning operations.

1775

The main force behind bringing the industrial revolution in the US was an American businessman Mr. Francis Cabot Lowell. He invented the first factory and power loom in the year 1813. During 1813 it was such a revolution that this factory could able to perform almost all the actions right from spinning to the finished cloth all under single roof. This famous mill was built by Mr, Lowell in Massachusetts.

Moving ahead in the year 1814 with help of his brother-in-law and financial backing from merchants he successfully established the Boston Manufacturing Company wat Waltham, Massachusetts. BMC stands to be one of the very first companies in the entire America which could perform all the operations right from raw cotton to finished cloth all under one roof. Post this Lowell hired great machinist Paul Moddy in order to assist him with the designing of cotton spinning and weaving machinery. Lowell and Moody were awarded power loom patent in the year 1815.

1789

The person behind modifying Arkwright’s blueprints and bringing them to America is none other than Samuel Slater who is also known as the father of American manufacturing. He went on to create America’s first textile mill in the year 1791 when hired by Moses Brown.

A whooping 13 mills were created by him with tenant farms surrounded by company towns. Slatersville is one of the mills he named and created in the year 1806. Andrew Jackson gave the crown of "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" to Samuel Slater. He created the mill and later went on to create a business with his sons.

1794

There was a huge demand for cotton in new England and during this phase, Eli Whitney patented the cotton which brought great help to the cotton growers and increased there supply to New England’s spinning and weaving mills.

With his patent, he shaped the economy of the Antebellum South. Eli Jr. was an American inventor (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825). He had a great vision and believed that his invention will reduce the usage of labour which was enslaved during that period. Not only this but the upland short cotton crop becomes a profitable venture due to his invention. He has lost many legal battles too due to the patents but he keeps inventing things until his death in 1825

Conclusion:

Here is a brief history year-wise on the textile invention. Textile is the vast and most ancient domain. Varieties of the products found today in excavations are from ancient civilizations. Post this there are many evolutions happened in terms of machinery, factories, etc. If we talk today almost all machinery is very modern and has great production speeds. The infrastructure is also way beyond the time and the demand for textiles is ever-growing.

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The images are only for graphical representation.