, where he became completely
absorbed in the idea of inventing a sewing machine. Ignorant of any of
the principles of mechanics, he worked alone and in secret for four
years, neglecting his tailoring business to the extent that neighbors
looked upon him as peculiar, if not crazy. By 1829 he had not only
mastered the mechanical difficulties of bringing his dream to
realization, but also had made the acquaintance of the man who helped
him to success. Ferrand, of l'Ecole des Mines of Saint-Etienne, became
interested in the machine and helped finance Thimonnier through his
trials and disappointments. In 1830 Thimonnier received a patent on his
machine, which produced the chainstitch by means of a needle shaped like
a small crochet hook.

[Illustration: Figure 133.--BARTHELEMY THIMONNIER, 1793-1857. From an
engraving in the _Sewing Machine Advance_, November 15, 1880.
(Smithsonian photo 10569-A.)]

Thimonnier, together with Ferrand and a M. Beaunier, made attempts to
introduce his machine in Paris. By 1841 they were successful in having
eighty of Thimonnier's machines in use sewing army clothing in a shop in
Paris. But the fears of the tailors could not be quieted. The machines
were destroyed by an ignorant and infuriated mob, as had been earlier
labor-saving devices such as the Jacquard attachment for the loom and
Hargreaves' spinning jenny. Thimonnier was forced to flee to his home in
St. Etienne, once more penniless.

Soon after this, Jean Marie Magnin, an engineer from
Villefranche-sur-Saone became interested in Thimonnier's machine and
provided the inventor again with financial backing. In 1845 under the
name of Thimonnier and Magnin the patent of 1830 was renewed, and under
it they organized the first French sewing-machine company. The machines
they manufactured could produce 200 stitches per minute.

The Revolution of 1848 curtailed the manufacture and sale of the
machines. Thimonnier, remembering his unpleasant experience in 1841,
decided to go to England with Magnin, where, on February 8, 1848, they
received the English patent for his chainstitch machine. He was also
granted United States patent 7,622 on September 20, 1850. This later
machine had some advantages over his French machine of 1830, but by this
time other inventors had joined the field with machines that were more
practical. Magnin entered a sewing machine (which from the description
in the catalog must have been Thimonnier's invention) in the Crysta