The sitting room was not often the room a guest might enter into. Guests were usually only entertained in the parlor room, if the host had one. The Gilbert Farmhouse features our only exhibited sitting room, curated with furniture that is representative of a room meant for the family. The largest artifact in the room, a writing desk, is the showpiece that the rest of the room builds around. This writing desk was originally owned by the Gilbert family, and within the desk, sits the Gilbert family bible.

Many special exhibits were held in this room throughout the years, including an exhibit around inventions. This year, we're choosing to highlight the impact of writing and patenting to show how the some of the most impactful parts of society have transformed. This exhibit is focused within 19th century transformations, since the main time period the museum interprets is the 1840s.

Patenting gives us a glimpse into the life of the inventor and what technology was available at the time. It allows us to understand what the average 19^th century person had to live with and how technology was constantly transforming. To see a full list of the artifacts highlighted in this exhibit, you can visit our online Collections Portal here!

Writing instruments have been used as long as humans have been trying to mark something down, whether it be as art or for records. There have been a variety of pens used throughout time, with two particular ones being used from late antiquity through to the 19th century; the reed pen and the feather quill. Ink was an additional necessity for writing and could have been made from a variety of substances.

Reed pens and feather quills were easy to acquire. The most difficult part of manufacturing a reed pen was acquiring the reed or bamboo. From there, the reed itself would just need a nib fashioned on one end by cutting off one end, with the soft inside part shaved away leaving the hard outer shell. The quill was just as easy to manufacture, requiring only a turkey or seagull feather that was shaved down at the base to create a nib.

Writing instruments began to transform even further, with decorative pens made of shell and interchangeable nibs. Fountain pens and pencils evolved as different writing needs arose, representing the transforming society

There was no lower limit on how wealthy you had to be and patents were awarded, after 1836, to the "first and true inventor" in a merit-based examination system. All members of society, even women, former enslaved African Americans, and foreign citizens could be awarded patents. This meant that inventors could access and trust the protection afforded to them by the American patent system with ease, and it encouraged a broad cross section of Americans to participate in innovation during the 19th century.

The first patent to be issued to a woman in the United States was issued on May 5th, 1809 to Mary Kies. Her invention, a machine that wove straw and silk for fashionable hats, was the first of many machines made by women that would be patented. The explosion of innovation that America experienced wasn't just for men- women eagerly engaged, adding to the explosive energy.

Though women were granted patents, under common law, a married woman was bound by the rule of coverture, which vested her legal rights in her husband. This meant that though married women could own real property, they weren't able to manage their own property- which meant they weren't able to sign contracts, open a bank account, control their own wages, or even be a legal guardian to their own children. A married woman might be able to patent an invention, but once patented, they could not manage the rights or manufacture their product.

Alongside the suffrage movement was the movement for women's property rights. In an attempt to secure economic equality, women's property rights advocates constantly fought to be seen as a top priority over voting rights. In 1888, a list of women inventors was published by the U.S. Patent Office to highlight "Women Inventors to Whom Patents Have Been Published" and inspire more inventive activity by women in response to the pressure placed on the office by advocate Charlotte Smith.

The work of female inventors and advocates like Charlotte Smith continued throughout the 19th century into the 20th century. Overtime, states passed women's property right laws, giving women the right to manage and manufacture their patents on their own. Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition of 1892-93 showcased several woman inventors, highlighting their ingenuity and innovative thinking.

The fluting machine on display is a cast iron ruffler, featuring black paint with gold striping. This machine has a crank on one side, brass rollers, and a clamp to hold it down on a table. The picture on the base, very faint now, is of Susan Knox, the inventor of the machine.

Acquired by the museum in 1982, this piece tells a story of both the woman who invented it and the hands that used it for over 150 years. Susan R Knox of New York, NY received U.S. Patent No. 59,913, dated November 20, 1866 and Reissue No. 3,938, dated April 26, 1870, for her "Improvements in Machines for Making Fluted Ruffles". Ruffles, fluted collars, and pleats were all very popular, critical embellishments to 19th century clothing. This machine sped up the time consuming pleating process, making the detail much easier to accomplish.